Question

purchase. you also searched the internet for quotes for your car insurance. you receive an email that appears to be from your bank stating that your car loan is being cancelled today unless you send $500 immediately to the account listed in the email. you notice that your name is misspelled in the email greeting, and the email address is similar to your banks, but not exactly the same. what kind of scam are they trying to pull on you? charity scam smishing scam phishing scam pretexting scam

Explanation:

• Charity scam: Usually involves fraudulently soliciting donations for non - existent or misrepresented charities. There is no mention of charity in the scenario.
• Smishing scam: Uses text messages (SMS) to deceive. The scenario involves an email, not a text message.
• Phishing scam: Commonly uses emails (or other digital communications) that appear to be from legitimate sources (like a bank in this case) to trick recipients into providing information or sending money. The misspelled name and similar - but - not - exact email address are typical red flags of a phishing attempt.
• Pretexting scam: Often involves creating a false scenario (a pretext) in person or over the phone (e.g., pretending to be from a company for a verification call). Here, the medium is email, and the key elements (email from a supposed bank, request for money) align more with phishing.

Answer:

Phishing scam