variants
or less commonly SMiShing
: the practice of sending text messages to someone in order to trick the person into revealing personal or confidential information which can then be used for criminal purposes
Don't get too excited if you receive a text message announcing you've won a gift card from a big retailer. Chances are it's smishing—or scams perpetrated by text messages.—
Emily Glazer
Emily GlazerSmishing is essentially phishing ported to mobile devices and typically arrives in the form of a text message suggesting the user has signed up for a service, and will be charged until they cancel using a web site. The site then prompts the user to click on a link, which actually triggers the download of a Trojan horse …—Computing
Computingcalled also SMS phishing
compare phishingExamples of smishing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Recently, several state and federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Internal Revenue Service, have warned against the rise of smishing, the SMS version of phishing.
—Solcyré Burga, TIME, 13 Mar. 2025
Cybercriminals have registered more than 10,000 domains for various smishing scams, according to a recent report from the threat intelligence arm at cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 12 Mar. 2025
The fraudulent links in smishing texts may install malware or redirect users to fake websites that harvest sensitive data, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025
Specifically, 74% of executives are worried that synthetic identity fraud (SIF) will make phishing or smishing attacks more prevalent.
—James Bruni, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Report smishing attempts to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2025
Security researchers have traced the scam to Chinese smishing groups known for creating and selling sophisticated SMS phishing kits.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 28 Jan. 2025
Among the most pressing concerns this year are phishing and smishing scams, where fraudsters pose as the IRS or other financial institutions through emails and text messages to steal personal information.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Mar. 2025
Another sign that gives away a lot of smishing messages is their sense of urgency.
—David Nield, WIRED, 12 Dec. 2021
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Solcyré Burga, TIME, 13 Mar. 2025
Cybercriminals have registered more than 10,000 domains for various smishing scams, according to a recent report from the threat intelligence arm at cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 12 Mar. 2025
The fraudulent links in smishing texts may install malware or redirect users to fake websites that harvest sensitive data, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025
Specifically, 74% of executives are worried that synthetic identity fraud (SIF) will make phishing or smishing attacks more prevalent.
—James Bruni, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Report smishing attempts to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2025
Security researchers have traced the scam to Chinese smishing groups known for creating and selling sophisticated SMS phishing kits.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 28 Jan. 2025
Among the most pressing concerns this year are phishing and smishing scams, where fraudsters pose as the IRS or other financial institutions through emails and text messages to steal personal information.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Mar. 2025
Another sign that gives away a lot of smishing messages is their sense of urgency.
—David Nield, WIRED, 12 Dec. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Smishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smishing. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.
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