Question

Nick recently received a text message that appeared to be from his bank. The message stated that there had been a security breach at the bank, and he was asked to text back with his ATM pin number to confirm his account. Because the message seemed a bit odd, Nick called his bank and found out that the message was a hoax. Nick was a victim of

a) Identity theft
b) Phishing
c) Cyberbullying
d) Spoofing

Answer 1

Nick was targeted by a phishing scam, not identity theft. Phishing attempts to gain personal information via deception. Nick avoided falling victim by confirming with his bank.

Step-by-step explanation:

Nick received a text message that was an attempt to trick him into giving out his personal information under false pretenses. This kind of scam is referred to as phishing. It's a form of fraud where attackers disguise themselves as a trustworthy entity to obtain sensitive information like PIN numbers, passwords, or credit card details. While phishing is dangerous, it's not identity theft until the information is actually used to steal someone's identity. Identity theft entails the wrongful acquisition and use of another's personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain.

It’s essential for everyone to stay vigilant of such scams and protect your credit and debit cards, use passwords and PINs that are hard to guess, and maintain updated anti-virus software on all devices. In Nick's situation, by verifying with the bank, he avoided falling victim to the phishing attempt that could have potentially led to identity theft.