Text, Video & Email Phishing
- Ramona
- Mar 14, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 17
Scams Got Smarter - So Did We

Phishing isn’t new. It’s evolved.
Gone are the obvious typos and suspicious overseas princes. Today’s phishing attacks are polished, personalized, and sometimes powered by AI. They show up in your inbox, your text messages, your social media DMs - and even in video.
The goal hasn’t changed: trick you into clicking, sharing, wiring, or logging in.
But the delivery? Much more convincing.
Let’s break down what phishing looks like now, and how to stay ahead of it.
📧 Email Phishing: Still Alive, Just More Convincing
Email remains the most common entry point for cyberattacks.
In 2026, phishing emails:
Use realistic branding and formatting
Mimic vendors, banks, Microsoft 365, payroll platforms
Reference real company names and coworkers
Use AI to eliminate grammar mistakes
Some even include conversation history pulled from compromised accounts, making them look like legitimate reply chains.
Red flags to watch for:
Urgent payment requests
“Document shared with you” links
Login verification alerts you didn’t trigger
Slightly misspelled domains
If you didn’t expect it, pause before clicking.
📱 Text Phishing (Smishing): The “Quick Tap” Trap
Text phishing, also known as smishing, is exploding.
Why? Because we trust our phones.
Scammers send texts that look like:
Bank fraud alerts
Package delivery notices
Password reset confirmations
Toll road payment reminders
The message creates urgency. You tap fast. And suddenly you’re on a fake login page designed to steal your credentials.
The best defense? Never click financial or account links directly from a text. Open the official app or type the website yourself.
Fast fingers help hackers. Slow down.
🎥 Video & Voice Phishing: The New Frontier
This is where things get interesting.
AI-generated deepfake videos and voice cloning are now being used in phishing scams.
Examples include:
A “CEO” asking for an urgent wire transfer via video
A “manager” leaving a voicemail requesting gift cards
A fake recorded message from your bank
The voice sounds real. The face looks real.
But it isn’t.
If a financial request comes through video or voice:
Verify it through a secondary channel
Call the person directly using a known number
Confirm unusual requests in writing
If it feels slightly off, trust that instinct.
Phishing is evolving fast, your defenses should too. Let’s evaluate your email security, user access controls, and phishing protections before a scam becomes a breach.


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