What Is Phishing?
It’s a scam to steal your sensitive information
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Phishing attacks use phony emails, texts and calls to trick you into sharing personal information. An email from your bank, a text about a package delivery, a call from tech support — any of these could be a phishing scam in disguise. Criminals are getting better at fooling even tech-savvy people into clicking malicious links or sharing passwords.
Knowing what to look for can help you spot these scams before you become a victim.
Phishing attacks are scams devised to trick you into sharing personal information.
Jump to insightCommon types of phishing include email scams, smishing (text messages), vishing (calls) and targeted spear phishing.
Jump to insightAttackers use stolen personal data and advanced technology to create convincing fake messages at scale.
Jump to insightUnderstanding phishing attacks
A phishing cyberattack tricks users into sharing personal data, typically through fake emails, calls or texts. The goal is always the same: Steal your login credentials, financial details or personal information that they can sell or use for identity theft.
“With the growth of AI and digital communications, bad actors can make and send out incredibly convincing messages,” Michael Bruemmer, head of global data breach resolution at Experian, noted. They copy logos and formatting from real companies and create web addresses that differ by one character. Then, they send messages asking you to click a link, download a file or call a phone number.
What makes phishing so effective is the psychological pressure scammers build into every message. They create urgency — your account will close, a delivery failed, or suspicious activity needs immediate attention. This pushes you to act without thinking. Responding to these requests gives criminals everything they need to access your accounts.
Types of phishing
"There's an entire family of cyberattacks that have evolved from the original phishing emails," said Nathan Wenzler, field chief information security officer at cyber advisory and solutions firm Optiv.
Criminals now use five main attack methods to reach victims.
| Type | Method | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Email phishing | Fraudulent messages request credentials or financial information, or ask you to click links that launch malware | |
| Smishing | Text message | SMS messages appear to be from legitimate companies asking you to click links or call phone numbers |
| Vishing | Phone call | Scammers impersonate customer service, tech support or government agencies through calls or voicemails |
| Spear phishing | Email/text message/phone call | Targeted attacks use personal details like coworkers’ names, family members or your work history to seem credible |
| Clone phishing | Messages replicate legitimate company emails with correct logos, fonts and formatting sent from compromised accounts |
Most criminals take a 'spray and pray' approach. “They send out copious amounts of emails and text messages to consumers that include malicious links or attachments," Bruemmer explained. These mass campaigns rely on the law of averages. If enough people receive the message, someone will eventually click.
How phishing is carried out
Fraudsters launch phishing attacks using the same software-as-a-service technologies that legitimate corporations use, according to Wenzler. Some criminal organizations even offer phishing services to other criminals on a subscription basis, making sophisticated attacks accessible to less tech-savvy scammers.
Years of security breaches have given criminals vast amounts of stolen personal data. They feed this information into AI systems that create convincing messages designed to bypass spam filters. Everything runs automatically, letting scammers personalize attacks at scale with little effort. The AI even mimics how real companies write and format their communications.
» IN THE NEWS: Quishing scams surge as criminals target older adults
Criminals automate the creation of fake websites, complete with home pages, contact forms and chatbots, supporting the deception. And domain spoofing makes detection even harder.
"For example, www.villain.com and www.vilIan.com are different sites," Wenzler emphasized. "But they look so alike that a user is likely to miss the difference and may click on the spoofed link."
Recognizing phishing attempts
According to Wenzler, despite the high level of sophistication in phishing emails, signs that you’ve received a malicious email remain the same.
Already been scammed? Check for identity theft and change passwords for any accounts that may have been exposed.
Watch for these red flags:
- Misspelled words or company names that aren’t quite right
- Email addresses with randomized characters instead of personal names
- Sender names that don’t match the email address
- Offers that seem too good to be true
- Requests for confidential information like passwords or Social Security numbers
- Links, invoices or attachments that seem unusual or out of place
Urgency is one of the biggest giveaways. "A key sign of a phishing attempt is an unexpected message from a business asking consumers to act now to avoid fees, account deactivation or more," Bruemmer explained. Legitimate companies don't threaten immediate consequences through email. They also don't ask for sensitive login credentials this way.
If something feels off about a message, trust your instincts. Don't click any links or attachments. Instead, contact the business through their official website or a phone number you find. Don’t use the one provided in the suspicious message. Once you’ve verified it’s a scam, report it to your email provider.
Protecting against phishing
Tech tools like the top identity theft protection services can strengthen your defenses. Filtering services stop many phishing emails from ever reaching you, while keeping your software current fixes security weaknesses that scammers rely on.
Double-check the sender before clicking links, set up unique passwords across all your accounts and stay off public Wi-Fi when dealing with banking or personal information.
After setting up strong passwords and filters, activate multifactor authentication (MFA). "It adds another layer of protection by requiring more than a password to access an account," explained Bruemmer. MFA might require you to enter a code sent to your phone or use biometrics like your fingerprint. So even if scammers manage to steal your password, they still can't get in without that second step.
Unfortunately, no protection method is foolproof on its own. Filters block the majority of phishing emails, yet advanced scams still get through. Updates patch known security flaws, but hackers discover new ones. Your best bet is mixing technology protections with smart behavior. If one defense fails, you've got others backing you up.
» LEARN: How to prevent identity theft
FAQ
How do I know if I got phished?
The telltale signs of phishing include finding charges you didn't make, getting locked out of your email or banking apps or receiving password reset confirmations you never initiated. These warning signs typically pop up after you've interacted with a suspicious message — whether you clicked a link or downloaded an attachment.
What is phishing and an example?
Phishing is a scam in which criminals pose as trusted companies via fake emails, texts or websites to steal your passwords and personal information.
An example is an email that appears to be from your bank, saying your account will close unless you click a link to verify your details. That link directs you to a phony website built to capture whatever details you type in.
How do I stop phishing emails?
You can’t completely stop phishing emails, but you can protect yourself by never clicking links in unexpected messages. Turn on MFA, stay current with software updates and flag sketchy emails as spam. Whenever you're unsure about a message, type the company's web address into your browser instead of clicking what's in the email.
Why is phishing dangerous?
Phishing is dangerous because it tricks you into giving criminals information they use to steal your money and identity. They can drain your bank accounts, open credit cards in your name or install malware that tracks everything you type.
For businesses, even a single employee falling victim to phishing can expose customer data and lead to massive financial losses.
Article sources
ConsumerAffairs writers primarily rely on government data, industry experts and original research from other reputable publications to inform their work. Specific sources for this article include:
- American Bankers Association, “Package Delivery Scams.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
- Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, “Recognize and Report Phishing.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
- Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, “Keep Your Device’s Operating System and Applications Up to Date.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
- FBI, “Tech Support Scams.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
- FBI, “FBI Warns of Increasing Threat of Cyber Criminals Utilizing Artificial Intelligence.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
- Federal Communications Commission, “How to Avoid Package Delivery Scams.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
- Federal Trade Commission - Consumer Advice, “How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
- Federal Trade Commission - Consumer Advice, “How To Get Less Spam in Your Email.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
- National Cybersecurity Alliance, “What Is Multifactor Authentication (MFA) and Why Should You Use It?” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
- National Cybersecurity Alliance, “What Is Phishing and How to Avoid It.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
- National Cybersecurity Alliance, “What Is Smishing? How Text Message Scams Work (And How To Avoid Them).” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
- North Carolina Department of Information Technology, “Avoiding Phishing Attacks.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
- Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, “Phishing Attack Prevention: How to Identify & Avoid Phishing Scams.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
- Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, “How To Understand Phishing.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
- State of Hawaii - Office of Enterprise Technology Services, “The Dangers of Phishing.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
- The University of Tennessee, Knoxville - Office of Innovative Technologies, “Clone Phishing Scams.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
- United States Postal Inspection Service, “Smishing: Package Tracking Text Scams.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2026.
