{"id":79271,"date":"2017-09-27T06:00:26","date_gmt":"2017-09-27T13:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/?p=79271"},"modified":"2025-08-31T19:39:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T02:39:13","slug":"mobile-phishing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/mobile-security\/mobile-phishing\/","title":{"rendered":"Catch Phish If You Can"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are some movies you can watch over and over again. For me, it\u2019s \u201cCatch Me If You Can,\u201d Steven Spielberg\u2019s 2002 crime film based on the life of con artist, Frank Abagnale. Abagnale, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, poses as a variety of professions (a pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer) as he forges checks all around world and steals millions of dollars. His attention to detail and ability to charm people are key elements of his schemes, which, as a security expert, reminded me a lot about phishing scams<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Frank convinced banks to give him money through fake checks, but hackers convince you to give up your information through fake emails and URLs. These emails and URLs are nearly identical to emails you might receive from your bank or insurance carriers and often ask you to \u201cconfirm\u201d your sensitive information.<\/p>\n

Phishing scams also utilize social engineering<\/a>, a technique DiCaprio\u2019s character used perfectly to his advantage throughout the film. Time and again, Abagnale uses his ability to charm people into trusting him in order to get what he wants; a bank account, a pilot\u2019s uniform, and even a fianc\u00e9e. Cybercriminals do the exact same — they rely on people\u2019s trusting demeanors in order to get what they want, which in their case is their victim\u2019s personal information.<\/p>\n

While there are many comparisons between Frank\u2019s conning tactics and today\u2019s scams, it\u2019s important to remember that the resources and attacks vectors available to today\u2019s criminals have expanded. Even though Frank was successful, he was still limited compared to today\u2019s tech advancements. Digitization has opened new doors for hackers, especially when it comes to mobile devices. In fact, it\u2019s been reported that mobile devices users, specifically iOS devices, are the biggest target<\/a> for mobile phishing attacks.<\/p>\n

How to Catch Social Engineering Attacks<\/h2>\n

So how can you catch these attempts to steal your information? We\u2019re glad you asked.<\/p>\n