Spoofing falsifies an identity signal, such as a sender address, caller number, or site name, so a victim trusts the wrong party.
The visible label is a lie even when the underlying message, call, or page is delivered successfully.
How it works
Mail, phone caller identity, and website names are common places for the lie.
Technical checks can bind a domain to its real senders, yet display tricks still fool hurried people.
The safer habit is to trust a channel you started yourself.
A number printed in the incoming call is not a number you looked up.
Concrete examples
- A message shows a coworker name while the sending domain belongs to someone else.
- A call screen displays the main number of a bank the victim uses.
- A site name differs by one character from a brand the reader already knows.
Protective measures
- Publish mail authentication so outsiders cannot easily send as your domain.
- Teach staff to call back using a number from a directory you control.
- Ask people to open important sites from bookmarks rather than from links.
- Watch for lookalike names of your own brand and take them down when you can.