Smishing & Vishing: The Scams Hiding in Your Messages

That urgent text about a package delivery? That call from "your bank"? They might be scams designed to steal your personal information. In this episode of SipCyber, Jen Lotze breaks down smishing (SMS phishing) and vishing (voice phishing)—two increasingly common tactics scammers use to bypass your email filters and catch you off guard. 

☕ Featured Coffee Shop: The Whistle Punk in Stone Lake, WI—known for incredible breakfast burritos, rustic lake vibes, and being the favorite stop for families visiting the Northwoods. 

🔐 What You'll Learn: 

• What smishing and vishing are and how they work 
• Real-world examples of text and phone scams 
• Why caller ID can't be trusted (spoofing explained) 
• Simple verification steps to protect yourself and your family 
• How to spot fake technical support calls 

Whether you're protecting yourself, your parents, or your business, this episode gives you practical, no-nonsense tips to stay one step ahead of scammers. Don't let a convincing text or call become your worst cybersecurity mistake. 

👉 Subscribe for weekly cybersecurity tips that actually make sense—no technical jargon required. 

#cybersecurity #smishing #vishing #scamawareness #phishing #infosec #digitaldefense #familysafety #sipcyber 

Transcript

Jen Lotze 0:04

Hey there, coffee lovers and internet explorers. Welcome back to Sip Cyber, the podcast that's on a quest for the perfect cup of coffee and the simplest way to keep your digital life safe. We'll travel to small businesses, share their stories, and then get real about a cybersecurity tip that won't make your head spin. So grab your favorite mug and let's get brewing. For this episode, we're heading to a place that feels like summer, and I so want summer back because it's so cold outside the Twin Cities today. We're going to the Whistlepunk in Stone Lake, Wisconsin. For years, we've made this a must-visit spot on our annual lake trip. Our friends' kids used to ask all day long, when can we go to the whistlepunk? And I totally get it. It's a super fun duo, a cozy coffee shop by day, and a bustling brew pub by night. They have amazing breakfast burritos, because who doesn't love breakfast burrito? And the whole place has that perfect rustic vibe that just screams lake life. When you're at a place like Whistlepunk, you trust the regulars, the manager, the friendly barista. What about the other people in the shop? You wouldn't hand your wallet to a random stranger, so why would you trust a random message that comes your way? This brings us to today's cybersecurity tip. Always verify the source of a request before you trust it, no matter how it comes to you or how urgent or dire the request seems. Scammers are getting more creative, moving beyond just email to try and trick you. Let's look at a few of these new tricks, all through the lens of our favorite coffee shop. First, there's smishing. This is like getting a text message from a stranger claiming to be the whistlepunk owner saying that you've won a free coffee if you click on a link. It seems legit because it's a text, but really it's a scam. You should also be on the lookout for fake department of transportation or shipping notifications that tell you to click a link to track a package or pay a fee. If these come your way, just go back to the original source. Go to UPS.com. Go wherever it might be that you ordered that package. Next, we have Vishing. This is the phone call version, and scammers are going back to basics with this one. A scammer calls you pretending to be your bank or Medicare saying that your bank account or your healthcare plan has been compromised or lapsed in service, and they're asking you for personal details like account numbers or personal information like a social security number. These calls can be AI generated, but sound incredibly lifelike. They can be as benign as a fake account alert, or they can be much more sinister, like telling you to wire money because a family member is in a very, very bad situation, such as a car accident or have been kidnapped. And don't forget about those fake technical support calls. You will not get a call from Microsoft or any other technical partner telling you to give them access to your computer. These are fake and people are falling victim to them all the time. To fight against smishing and vishing, you can't rely on caller ID as scammers can spoof or fake numbers to make it look like they're calling from a legitimate source. Instead, hang up and call the company or person directly using a phone number you know to be real, like the one from their official website or trusted business card. If it's a text message from a bank or service, log into your account through the official app or website to check for any alerts rather than clicking a link in the text. Well, that's all for our eighth episode. We'll be back next week to continue our conversation on new types of scams and to visit another amazing small business. Until then, stay safe, stay warm, and keep sipping.