smishing

noun

smish·​ing ˈsmi-shiŋ 

variants or less commonly SMiShing

: the practice of sending text messages to someone in order to trick the person into revealing personal or confidential information which can then be used for criminal purposes

Don't get too excited if you receive a text message announcing you've won a gift card from a big retailer. Chances are it's smishing—or scams perpetrated by text messages.

—Emily Glazer

Smishing is essentially phishing ported to mobile devices and typically arrives in the form of a text message suggesting the user has signed up for a service, and will be charged until they cancel using a web site. The site then prompts the user to click on a link, which actually triggers the download of a Trojan horse …

—Computing

called also SMS phishing

compare phishing

Examples of smishing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The group relies heavily on social engineering tactics such as phishing and smishing to gain access to corporate systems. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 Dec. 2025

Beware of smishing: USPS warns about package tracking 'smishing' text messages: Here's what to know Can USPS refuse to deliver your mail? —Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 25 Nov. 2025

The Lighthouse group is one of several Chinese-speaking smishing groups that have emerged in recent years. —Matt Burgess, Wired News, 12 Nov. 2025

Updates Person of interest identified in disappearance of US student in the Dominican Republic Toll road scammers continue to send ‘smishing’ texts: Don't click on these links The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, the department said. —Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

blend of SMS and phishing

First Known Use

2006, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for smishing

• blushing
• brushing
• crushing
• gushing
• hushing
• rushing
• unblushing