PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. yesterday warned subscribers against “vishing,” or phishing over voice calls.
Vishing is a form of phishing done over voice calls. It is a type of social engineering where fraudsters, pretending to be bank agents, call their potential victims to trick them into sharing personal information like log-in details, account numbers and credit card CVV numbers.
These cybercriminals may address the victim by his or her name to sound legitimate. They typically induce panic in their victims by warning them of account closure or suspension.
They may also tell customers that they have been chosen for a free credit card upgrade and will only need to confirm their information to activate the new card.
Smart had earlier reported a marked decline in SMShing, or phishing over short messaging service, after it activated its new and more advanced network firewall.
“Criminals are quick to adapt. Now that our new firewall has made it harder for them to send text scams, they now resort to calling customers on their mobile phones or via over-the-top apps to lure them into revealing critical personal data,” said Jojo Gendrano, PLDT and Smart chief information security officer.
Smart said cybercriminals are getting more sophisticated, too. They have employed Artificial Intelligence to generate life-like voices or mimic the voice of a victim’s close acquaintance to gain their trust.
