Variety of techniques
Social engineering fraudsters use a variety of techniques to manipulate and deceive people into giving away sensitive information or taking actions that benefit the fraudster. Some common modus operandi for social engineering fraudsters include:
- Phishing: This is the practice of sending emails, text messages, or social media messages that appear to be from a legitimate source, such as a bank or government agency, but are actually designed to trick people into giving away personal or financial information.
- Pretexting: This involves creating a false pretext or scenario to convince someone to provide sensitive information or take a specific action. For example, a fraudster might pretend to be a colleague or customer service representative and ask for personal information or login credentials.
- Baiting: Baiting involves offering something of value, such as a free gift or discount, in exchange for personal information or a specific action. For example, a fraudster might offer a free gift card in exchange for completing a survey that asks for personal information.
- Spear phishing: This is a targeted form of phishing that involves sending emails or messages specifically tailored to a particular individual or group. The messages often contain personal details that make them seem more credible.
- Impersonation: This involves pretending to be someone else, such as a bank employee, police officer, or IT technician, in order to gain access to sensitive information or convince someone to take a specific action.
- Reverse social engineering: This is the practice of using information gathered from social media and other sources to build a relationship of trust with someone and then using that relationship to gain access to sensitive information or convince the person to take a specific action.
Social engineering fraudsters rely on human psychology and the willingness of people to trust and help others. By using these techniques, they are able to exploit vulnerabilities and deceive people into providing sensitive information or taking actions that benefit the fraudster. It's important to be vigilant and skeptical of requests for information or actions that seem suspicious or out of the ordinary.