Unexpected identity claim
A caller claims to represent leadership, support, a bank, a supplier, or an authority without an expected case or request.
Vishing Awareness
How to Recognize and Report Vishing
Vishing is voice phishing: a deceptive phone call, voicemail, or voice message used to obtain information, money, access, authentication, or another action.
Use this guide to turn the threat into a clear employee decision, a safe practice scenario, and a reporting step your organization can support.
Plain-English definition • Warning signs • Safe simulation ideas • Reporting practice
01Understand the threat
Vishing: a practical definition
Vishing is voice phishing: a deceptive phone call, voicemail, or voice message used to obtain information, money, access, authentication, or another action.
The attacker can spoof caller identity, use a convincing script, or combine the call with email and text. Familiar voice and caller ID should not replace the organization's verification process.
Source: CISA Phishing Guidance
02Recognition clues
Warning signs employees can check in a vishing message
No single clue proves that a message is malicious. Teach employees to combine the request, sender, business context, destination, and available verification route before acting.
Secrets or remote action
The caller asks for an MFA code, password, payment, software installation, screen sharing, or remote access.
Callback resistance
The caller discourages ending the call, consulting a colleague, or using the known official number.
03Safe response
Move from suspicion to a supported next step
| Moment | Employee action | Program preparation |
|---|---|---|
| Before acting | End the unexpected interaction and call the person or service through the known directory, saved contact, or official account route. | Publish the authentic contact, application, or reporting route somewhere employees can reach without using the message. |
| When uncertain | Pause the request and report it through the approved channel with enough context for review. | Explain what the response team needs and how employees will know that their report was received. |
| After an interaction | Stop, contact the responsible team promptly, and describe the action taken without hiding the mistake. | Provide a well-known response route and avoid communications that discourage early reporting. |
Source: NIST: Recognizing, verifying, and reporting phishing
04Practice safely
Vishing simulation and discussion ideas
Choose one learning objective per exercise. Use fictional people, organizations, accounts, payments, documents, and events, and test the reporting route before sending to employees.
Voicemail example
Use a fictional recording or transcript to practice identifying the independent callback route.
Support-call tabletop
Rehearse what an employee does when a supposed technician asks for a code or remote access.
Email-to-call pivot
Discuss a fictional alert that directs the recipient to a phone number and compare it with the known support path.
05Campaign workflow
Build the exercise around a decision employees can repeat
- 1
Define the behavior
Write down the vishing clue being practiced, the expected action, the authorized audience, and the owner of follow-up.
- 2
Confirm the real process
Test the independent verification route, message-reporting option, response handoff, and employee support path from a representative account.
- 3
Pilot the scenario
Check delivery, links, landing content, accessibility, event records, automated inspection, stop conditions, and the explanation employees will receive.
- 4
Review in context
Reconcile intended recipients, successful deliveries, unique employee events, verified reports, response handling, and completed follow-up before drawing conclusions.
Source: NIST SP 800-50 Rev. 1: Building a Cybersecurity and Privacy Learning Program
06Useful measurement
Evaluate recognition, reporting, and the surrounding process
Record actual counts and denominators for delivery, unique recipient events, reports, and follow-up. Separate automated email inspection and repeat events where the available evidence supports doing so.
A vishing exercise samples one scenario under one set of conditions. It does not establish an employee's intent, overall security awareness, or likelihood of responding the same way to a real attack.
Use findings to improve the real workflow: clearer verification instructions, easier reporting, faster response handling, better role-specific training, or a business control that reduces reliance on email alone.
Common questions
Common questions about Phishmake's features, onboarding, and support, answered to help you get started with confidence.
Can caller ID be trusted?
Caller ID alone is not proof of identity. For consequential requests, use the known directory or official service route to make an independent callback.
Can Phishmake place vishing calls?
Do not infer voice-calling capability from this guide. Confirm current product scope directly. Voice scenarios can still be covered through awareness lessons or facilitated exercises.
Can vishing be used in a phishing simulation?
It can be practiced when the scenario is authorized, proportionate, and tied to a real reporting or verification process. A live-call simulation requires explicit authorization, trained operators, privacy and recording review, approved scripts, opt-outs where required, and a reliable stop process. A tabletop is often sufficient.
How should vishing simulation results be measured?
Review successful delivery, unique employee events, reports, response handling, and completed follow-up. Include scenario difficulty and operating context, and do not treat a click or report as a complete measure of employee risk.
Sources & further reading
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