pretexting

noun

pre·​text·​ing ˈprē-ˌtek-stiŋ 

: the practice of presenting oneself as someone else in order to obtain private information

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

This class includes phishing, business email compromise (BEC) and pretexting (the human equivalent of phishing). —Vincent Weafer, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2022

Top tactics included phishing and pretexting, both of which involve concocting a story that will trick the victim into revealing password information and other sensitive data. —Dan Patterson, CBS News, 19 May 2021

And there are very explicit rules against tactics like pretexting, which is essentially using deception, to get someone to speak to you. —Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2020

The practice of obtaining customer call records by posing as the customer is known as pretexting. —Associated Press, WIRED, 29 Sep. 2006

Word History

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above