Danger Zone:  Telephone

Vishing—or voice phishing—is the use of fraudulent phone calls to trick people into giving money or revealing personal information. It's a new name for an old problem—telephone scams. Vishing frequently involves a criminal pretending to represent a trusted institution, company, or government agency. You may be asked to buy an extended warranty, offered a "free" vacation, told your computer is infected and you need anti-virus software, or asked to donate to charity.

Protect yourself from telephone scams

• Do not send money or give out personal information in response to unsolicited phone calls from unfamiliar companies or unknown persons.
• If a caller claims to be from an institution you do business with, such as your bank, and they ask for personal information (account numbers, Social Security numbers, and so on), hang up, find that institution's phone number, and call them. If the call you received was fraud, report it!
• Do not pay fees for prizes or rewards offered by phone.
• The IRS will never ask you for debit or credit card numbers by phone or demand immediate payments using specific methods, such as prepaid gift cards, debit cards, or wire transfers.

As a general guideline, be highly suspicious anytime you are requested to provide personal information over the phone.