Question

Tommy receives an email from his bank manager. She states that Tommy's credit card information has been misplaced and asks him to send the details to her immediately for verification. Tommy responds to the email and sends the requested information. He later discovers that the email was not sent by the bank manager and that the sender used the information to steal money from his bank account. Based on this information, Tommy was a victim of ________.

A) Identity theft
B) Spoofing
C) Phishing
D) Hacking

Answer 1

Tommy was a victim of phishing, a deceptive practice where someone impersonates a trustworthy entity to obtain sensitive information, leading to unauthorized transactions. It is crucial to verify the identity of the sender before divulging any personal or financial details.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the information provided, Tommy was a victim of phishing. Phishing is a type of online fraud where someone pretends to be a trustworthy entity to trick individuals into providing sensitive information such as credit card details, passwords, and personal identification numbers (PINs). The scenario described involves a fraudulent email impersonating a bank manager, something that is a typical phishing tactic. Tommy's response to this email resulted in his information being used for unauthorized transactions, which is the primary goal of phishing activities.

Despite some similarities to identity theft, where thieves may use someone's personal information to steal their identity and commit various crimes, the immediate consequence in Tommy's case was a direct financial loss due to deceptive practices, which aligns with phishing. It is very important to verify the sender's identity before responding to unexpected requests for personal or financial information to prevent becoming a victim of phishing and potentially identity theft.