phishing

British  

/ ˈfɪʃɪŋ /

noun

1. the practice of using fraudulent e-mails and copies of legitimate websites to extract financial data from computer users for purposes of identity theft

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Etymology

Origin of phishing

C21: from fishing in the sense of catching the unwary by offering bait; computer-hacker slang often replaces f with ph

Example Sentences

Depositing small amounts of money with accompanying phone numbers is a relatively common phishing scam to trick you into calling fake customer-support numbers.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

Unlike some competitors, it does not offer built-in malware or phishing protection.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

So-called phishing attacks see criminals attempt to convince users to part with passcodes, money or details about their identity - often by impersonating customer support agents, friends, family and celebrities.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

AI has made this type of attack more dangerous because it can generate thousands of personalized phishing emails to collect more passwords faster.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

Once in a while I’d leak stuff about phishing scams.

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin