Many of us have families to look after.

We save money not only for our own future but also – perhaps even more so – for our kids and grandkids.

Many of us have families to look after. We save money not only for our own future but also – perhaps even more so – for our kids and grandkids. We want to secure a good education, help them buy a home or simply set aside something for when they need it.

So did Tony. He’d saved a substantial amount for his sons' future, more than $4 million in bitcoin. And with just one click, he lost it all to vishing, a type of scam that uses phone calls to trick people into giving up sensitive information.

Scammers posed as Google Support agents and, after an elaborate scheme, first caught his attention, then gained his trust and ultimately left him with nothing.

"Please, man. Is there anything you can do to give me something back?" was Tony’s final, desperate plea to the scammers, hoping to appeal to their humanity.

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A man typing on his computer keyboard (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

What is vishing?

Vishing, short for "voice phishing," is a type of cybercrime that uses phone calls to deceive individuals into revealing personal or financial information. Unlike traditional phishing, which relies on emails or text messages, vishing leverages the power of human voice and social engineering to manipulate victims. Scammers often impersonate legitimate organizations, such as banks, tech companies, or government agencies, to gain trust and create a sense of urgency. They may ask for passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive details, which they then use for fraudulent purposes.

Because vishing relies heavily on social engineering tactics, it can be difficult to detect, making it a particularly dangerous form of cybercrime.

Illustration of a hacker at work (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

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The scam is a well-orchestrated play

Let's break down these vishing schemes to understand why they are so effective. Once you see them as a staged play consisting of different acts, it becomes easier to recognize the individual tactics.

Act 1: The setup and targeting

Scammers start by identifying potential victims through social media, public transaction records, leaked databases, and more. Once they select a target, they gather personal details (email, phone number, financial holdings) to build credibility. And you could easily be a target. That’s because data brokers – companies that buy and sell your personal information – are goldmines for scammers. Your entire profile is likely out there, containing everything they need to run a successful scam: your name, address, contact details, family members, owned properties and more.

How to protect yourself at this stage:

Act 2: The first contact

Scammers always initiate contact first. Let’s walk through a vishing scam using a Google account as an example.

Google verification code text (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

Fake Google form (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

How to protect yourself at this stage:

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Act 3: Building trust

Scammers no longer ask for passwords outright. That trick doesn’t work anymore. Here's what they do instead.

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Illustration of username and password credential page (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

Act 4: The scam

After you successfully reset your password, scammers ask for one final step: log in. This is where the real scam happens.

How to protect yourself at this stage:

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Act 5: The heist

At this stage, the scammers end the call, leaving you feeling at ease. You won’t realize what happened until it’s too late. And it’s not just Google accounts at risk. The same method can be used to access Apple accounts, banking services and cryptocurrency wallets. For some, losing access to Google alone is devastating; after all, Google Drive, Google Photos and other cloud services store vast amounts of personal and financial data. But by the time you realize what’s happened, it’s already too late.

How to protect yourself at this stage:

While securing your accounts and reporting fraud are crucial after a scam has already occurred, the best defense is preventing these attacks in the first place. Taking these steps can help ensure you don’t fall victim to a vishing scam in the first place.

How to protect yourself from vishing scams

1. Invest in personal data removal services: These scams all have one thing in common: they need some of your personal info to work. Without your name, phone number or email, these scams can't happen. Scammers