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Smishing and Vishing: How to Avoid Them?

Smishing & Vishing:
How to Stay Safe

Cybercriminals no longer rely solely on complex malware or sophisticated hacking tools. Today, many of the most damaging attacks start with something far simpler-a phone call or a text message. While these channels feel personal and familiar, they have become powerful weapons for digital fraudsters.

Imagine this: you’re relaxing on a Sunday afternoon when your phone suddenly buzzes with alerts for transactions you’ve never made. Moments later, you receive a call from a “bank representative” claiming there’s suspicious activity on your account-and urgently requesting your card details to “verify your identity.”

This scenario is exactly how smishing (SMS phishing) and vishing (voice phishing) attacks unfold. They are alarmingly common, highly manipulative, and often difficult to detect-making them one of the biggest cybersecurity threats facing individuals and businesses today.

In this complete guide, our cybersecurity specialists in Perth break down what vishing and smishing are, why these attacks are becoming more sophisticated, how to spot them, and-most importantly-how to protect your organisation and employees from falling victim.

What Is Vishing?

Vishing, short for voice phishing, is a type of social engineering attack conducted through phone calls. The goal is simple yet dangerous: trick the victim into giving up confidential information such as:

According to global cybersecurity research, over 53% of employees cannot accurately identify what vishing is, making them more vulnerable to manipulation.

How Vishing Works

Vishing scams rely heavily on psychological pressure and impersonation. The scammer often uses:

A typical vishing attack might begin with an automated message stating:

“This is an urgent call regarding suspicious activity on your account. Press 1 to speak to a fraud officer.”

Once the victim responds, the call is forwarded to a fake agent trained to extract personal information.

Why Vishing Works

Vishing attacks succeed because:

Phone calls feel legitimate and personal
People fear financial loss or identity theft
The caller often pretends to be from a bank, government agency, police, or familiar brand
Caller ID spoofing makes the number look authentic
Victims feel pressured to respond quickly

Vishing can happen to anyone-employees, senior executives, or even entire departments like finance or HR.

What Is Smishing?

Smishing (SMS phishing) is a cyberattack conducted through text messages. These messages often include:

Smishing is similar to email phishing, but more dangerous because:

How Smishing Works

Smishing messages often imitate:

Banks or financial institutions
Government services (ATO, Medicare, MyGov)
Postal and courier companies (AusPost, DHL)
Online shopping or subscription services
Company HR or payroll departments

A smishing message may look like this:

These messages usually come from randomly generated 10–11 digit numbers and often contain:

Why Smishing Is So Effective

Smishing succeeds because:

Cybercriminals know that humans-not systems-are the weakest link.

Common Signs of Smishing & Vishing Attacks

Whether the attack comes through a call or a text, there are consistent warning signs that can help you identify a scam early. Here are the most common red flags:

1. A Sense of Urgency

Scammers rely on panic. They might say:

Anything designed to provoke quick action is suspicious.

2. Requests for Personal or Financial Information

Legitimate organisations never request details such as:

Especially not through calls or texts.

3. Unknown or Suspicious Phone Numbers

Random numbers, international codes, or disguised caller IDs are often signs of vishing or smishing.

4. Spelling and Grammar Errors

Professional organisations do not send text messages filled with typos. Many smishing attempts originate overseas, where scammers rely on translated scripts.

5. Unexpected Links (Shortened or Suspicious URLs)

Short URLs like bit.ly or strange domain names are major red flags.

6. Unsolicited “Rewards,” “Prizes,” or “Special Offers”

If you didn’t enter a competition, you didn’t win it.

7. Calls With Poor Audio Quality or Background Noise

Call centres used by scammers often operate from environments that sound suspicious or unprofessional.

How to Protect Yourself From Smishing & Vishing Attacks

How to protect your employees from smishing and vishing-Computing Australia Group

The good news: with the right precautions, you can avoid the vast majority of these scams. Here are the most effective steps for individuals and businesses.

For Individuals: Practical Safety Tips

1. Do Not Respond to Messages from Unknown Numbers

Ignore, delete, or block them. Never click links, download attachments, or reply.

2. Never Share Sensitive Information via SMS or Phone

Banks, government departments, and legitimate companies will never request:

over a call or text.

3. Verify the Caller Through Official Channels

Hang up immediately and call back using the official number found on the organisation’s website.

4. Do Not Click on Suspicious Links

Rotating URL patterns are used to avoid detection. Verify first; click never.

5. Report the Message or Call

Use your phone’s built-in reporting features or notify your mobile carrier. This helps prevent further attacks.

6. Install Mobile Security Tools

Modern cybersecurity apps can scan URLs, block malicious links, and identify scam messages.

7. Stay Informed

Awareness is your biggest shield. Knowing what to look for makes you far less likely to be tricked.

How Businesses Can Protect Employees from Smishing & Vishing

Smishing and vishing aren’t just personal threats-they are major organisational risks. Many corporate breaches begin with a single employee exposing sensitive information through a phone-based scam.

Here’s how companies can reduce the risk:

1. Mandatory Cybersecurity Awareness Training

Educate employees on:

Regular refresher sessions ensure ongoing vigilance.

2. Create a Clear Reporting Process

Employees should feel comfortable reporting suspicious messages-without fear of blame.

This can include:

The easier the process, the faster threats can be contained.

3. Run Simulated Smishing and Vishing Exercises

Just like phishing simulations, companies should test employees using controlled fake SMS and call campaigns. This helps identify weak points and tailor training to address them.

4. Implement Strict BYOD Policies

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) introduces significant security risks. Make sure that employee devices used for work meet basic cybersecurity standards:

5. Limit Access to Sensitive Information

Not every employee should have access to:

Restrict access based on job roles to reduce the potential damage of a successful smishing or vishing attack.

6. Encourage a Security-First Culture

Cybersecurity is not just IT’s responsibility-it is everyone’s. Foster a workplace where:

The Rising Threat: Why Smishing and Vishing Are Increasing

The rapid growth of mobile-first communication has expanded the attack surface for cybercriminals. Our reliance on phones-both for personal and work tasks-has made SMS and voice channels a goldmine for attackers.

Key reasons for this rise include:

As technology evolves, so do cybercriminals. This is why ongoing training, strict policies, and smart cybersecurity tools are essential.

The digital space is becoming more and more technologically advanced. Unfortunately, so are hackers and other cybercriminals. Though they sound scary, smishing and vishing can be easily avoided by being more thoughtful, more vigilant and taking adequate security measures. Do you want to learn more about smishing and vishing and how you can avoid them? We have your back. Contact us or email us at cybersecurity@computingaustralia.group for quick and efficient digital security solutions.

Jargon Buster

VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the technology that allows you to communicate via calls over the internet.

Phishing – Phishing is a cybercrime in which a scammer uses fake messages or calls to collect sensitive data from their targets.

CEO fraud – It is the type of phishing in which scammers trick employees of a workplace into giving information by impersonating their CEO or other company executives.

Smishing & Vishing: How to Stay Safe