What Is Vishing?
Vishing (voice phishing) is a social engineering attack carried out by phone: the caller pretends to be someone trusted, such as the IT help desk, a bank or a senior manager, to get the person who answers to share information, approve access or move money.
How a vishing call works
Research
The attacker finds names, roles and phone numbers on LinkedIn, the company website and earlier breaches.
Pretext
They pick a believable reason to call: a password reset, a payroll change, a delivery problem, an urgent request from an executive.
The call
The number often looks local or internal. The caller sounds calm, informed and in a hurry.
The ask
A one-time code, a password, a remote-access install, a changed bank detail or a payment.
Why AI made vishing worse
- Voice cloning: a few seconds of someone's voice, from a video or a voicemail, is enough to imitate them.
- AI callers at scale: one attacker can run hundreds of natural conversations at once, in any language and accent.
- Better pretexts: generative AI writes a convincing story for each target in seconds.
Vishing, phishing and smishing
| Attack | Channel | Typical ask |
|---|---|---|
| Phishing | Click a link, open a file | |
| Smishing | Text message | Click a link, call a number |
| Vishing | Phone call | Read out a code, approve access, pay |
Warning signs
- Urgency that leaves no time to check.
- A request to bypass a normal process “just this once”.
- A request for a code, password or approval you were not expecting.
- Pressure to stay on the line rather than call back.
How organizations stop vishing
- A callback rule: verify any sensitive request on a known number, never the one that called.
- A help desk that verifies identity before any reset.
- Practice. Employees who have heard a convincing call before recognise the next one. That is what a vishing simulation is for.
Try our free tools
AI Voice Cloning Test
Hear a vishing call in your own voice.Voice Phishing Simulator
Hear your own voice turned into a boss, a colleague, or an unknown caller, live in the browser.Voice Phishing Accent Simulator
Hear the same scam script in a different accent, and see how much accent alone changes who your employees trust.FAQ
Voice phishing: phishing carried out by phone call.
Yes. Using deception by phone to obtain information or money is a crime in most countries. Testing your own employees with their consent is a different thing: see the regulations by country.
Yes. Modern voice cloning needs only seconds of audio. Try our free AI voice cloning test to hear it.