What is the term for a scam where attackers impersonate a real company to obtain personal information?

What is the term for a scam where attackers impersonate a real company to obtain personal information?

• A. Vishing
• B. Pharming
• C. Spoofing
• D. Phishing

Answer: (D)

This kind of scam relies on social engineering: attackers pose as a trusted company to trick you into revealing personal information. Phishing specifically uses messages that look like they come from a legitimate organization—often an email, but sometimes a text or message on social media—that urges you to click a link, log in, or provide sensitive data. The impersonation is the hook that makes the request seem urgent and trustworthy, prompting you to act without verifying first. That’s why phishing is the best label for this scenario: the attacker’s goal is to harvest credentials or personal details by pretending to be a real company. Vishing would be the same deception carried out over the phone. Pharming involves redirecting your browser to a fraudulent site, usually through DNS manipulation, rather than presenting a fake message from a real company. Spoofing is a broader term for disguising something’s identity (like an email address or caller ID) but doesn’t by itself describe the phishing tactic of requesting data from you. To stay protected, verify through official channels, hover over links to check the domain, and never share sensitive information via email or text. Enable multi-factor authentication for extra protection.

This kind of scam relies on social engineering: attackers pose as a trusted company to trick you into revealing personal information. Phishing specifically uses messages that look like they come from a legitimate organization—often an email, but sometimes a text or message on social media—that urges you to click a link, log in, or provide sensitive data. The impersonation is the hook that makes the request seem urgent and trustworthy, prompting you to act without verifying first. That’s why phishing is the best label for this scenario: the attacker’s goal is to harvest credentials or personal details by pretending to be a real company.

Vishing would be the same deception carried out over the phone. Pharming involves redirecting your browser to a fraudulent site, usually through DNS manipulation, rather than presenting a fake message from a real company. Spoofing is a broader term for disguising something’s identity (like an email address or caller ID) but doesn’t by itself describe the phishing tactic of requesting data from you. To stay protected, verify through official channels, hover over links to check the domain, and never share sensitive information via email or text. Enable multi-factor authentication for extra protection.