Vishing is another name for phone phishing: fraud carried out by telephone, in which a criminal pretends to be from a bank, a government agency, a technology company or another trusted organisation to trick the victim. The main entry explains how these calls work and how to protect against them.
The word is a blend of "voice" and "phishing", and it sits alongside smishing, which uses text messages. Vishing calls often use caller ID spoofing so the number appears genuine, and many follow a text or email that prompts the victim to call back. Common scripts include a fake fraud department warning that the account is under attack and asking the victim to move money to a "safe account", or requesting one-time passcodes that let the criminal approve payments or take over the account.
In payment terms, vishing can lead either to unauthorised transactions, when the criminal uses the details obtained, or to authorised push payment fraud, when the victim is persuaded to send the money themselves. The distinction matters for refund rights. Newer variants use AI-generated voices to impersonate executives or relatives, a growing concern in social engineering fraud.