Phishing is a high‑tech scam that uses spam or pop‑up messages to deceive consumers into disclosing personal information by pretending to be from a business or organization with which the consumer deals. Which description best defines phishing?

Phishing is a high‑tech scam that uses spam or pop‑up messages to deceive consumers into disclosing personal information by pretending to be from a business or organization with which the consumer deals. Which description best defines phishing?

• A. A legitimate promotional email from a business
• B. A high‑tech scam that uses spam or pop‑up messages to deceive consumers into disclosing personal information by pretending to be from a business or organization
• C. A legitimate online banking transaction
• D. An ordinary phone call from a bank

Answer: (B)

Phishing is deception through impersonation to obtain personal information. It relies on messages that look like they’re from a business or organization you know, often sent as spam or shown as pop-ups, with the goal of getting you to reveal sensitive data such as passwords or account numbers. The description matches phishing because it explicitly describes a high-tech scam that uses spam or pop-up messages and pretends to be from a trusted source to trick people into disclosing personal information. Legitimate promotional emails aren’t trying to steal data, legitimate online banking transactions are normal activities, and ordinary bank calls aren’t necessarily deceptive. Phishing uses impersonation and urgency to lure you into sharing private details, which is what this description captures.

Phishing is deception through impersonation to obtain personal information. It relies on messages that look like they’re from a business or organization you know, often sent as spam or shown as pop-ups, with the goal of getting you to reveal sensitive data such as passwords or account numbers. The description matches phishing because it explicitly describes a high-tech scam that uses spam or pop-up messages and pretends to be from a trusted source to trick people into disclosing personal information.

Legitimate promotional emails aren’t trying to steal data, legitimate online banking transactions are normal activities, and ordinary bank calls aren’t necessarily deceptive. Phishing uses impersonation and urgency to lure you into sharing private details, which is what this description captures.