pretexting

/ ˈpriːtɛkstɪŋ /

noun

1. the practice of deceiving individuals into surrendering personal information for fraudulent purposes

Example Sentences

Spies, private investigators, criminals, and even some journalists have long used false identities to trick people into providing information, a practice known as pretexting.

Read more on The New Yorker

The Internet made pretexting easier.

Read more on The New Yorker

As a result of this pretexting, the investigation subsequently identified a fifteen year old who was arrested after he clicked a link to specific web page in the spoof-site that was sent to his anonymous social media account.

Read more on Forbes

The deal capped a tumultuous decade for the company that included the 2006 "pretexting" scandal, which led to the resignation of Chairwoman Patricia Dunn.

Read more on New York Times

Clearly a violation of privacy, the law was clarified in 2007 to formally make pretexting illegal.

Read more on New York Times