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Phishing vs Pretext - What's the difference?

phishing | pretext |

As nouns the difference between phishing and pretext

is that phishing is the act of sending email that falsely claims to be from a legitimate organization. This is usually combined with a threat or request for information: for example, that an account will close, a balance is due, or information is missing from an account. The email will ask the recipient to supply confidential information, such as bank account details, PINs or passwords; these details are then used by the owners of the website to conduct fraud while pretext is a false, contrived, or assumed purpose or reason; a pretense.

As verbs the difference between phishing and pretext

is that phishing is present participle of lang=en while pretext is to employ a pretext, which involves using a false or contrived purpose for soliciting the gain of something else.

phishing

English

Noun

(-) (wikipedia phishing)
  • (computing) The act of sending email that falsely claims to be from a legitimate organization. This is usually combined with a threat or request for information: for example, that an account will close, a balance is due, or information is missing from an account. The email will ask the recipient to supply confidential information, such as bank account details, PINs or passwords; these details are then used by the owners of the website to conduct fraud.
  • The act of circumventing security with an alias.
  • Synonyms

    * spoofing

    Verb

    (head)
  • See also

    pretext

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A false, contrived, or assumed purpose or reason; a pretense.
  • The reporter called the company on the pretext of trying to resolve a consumer complaint.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2012 , date=May 27 , author=Nathan Rabin , title=TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992) , work=The Onion AV Club citation , page= , passage=When that metaphor proves untenable, he switches to insisting that women are like beer but that’s mainly as a pretext to drink until he passes out in a father-son bonding haze.}}

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Verb

    (Pretexting) (en verb)
  • To employ a pretext, which involves using a false or contrived purpose for soliciting the gain of something else.
  • The spy obtained his phone records using possibly-illegal pretexting methods.

    Synonyms

    * blag (UK)

    See also

    * (Social engineering)