How do phishing scams obtain a person's login information?

Phishing is a form of social engineering that relies on deception to illicitly obtain sensitive information, such as login credentials, account numbers, or passwords.12

Scammers typically execute these attacks through the following process:

• Deceptive Communication: Fraudsters send emails or messages that appear to originate from a trusted source, such as a bank, e-commerce site, or employer. These messages often use spoofing techniques to mimic the branding, logos, or email addresses of legitimate organizations to gain the victim's trust.324
• Directing to Fraudulent Sites: The message usually contains a link that directs the recipient to a fake website designed to look identical to the real service.54
• Soliciting Information: Once on the site, the victim is prompted to "update," "confirm," or "verify" their account details. By entering their information into these fields, the victim unwittingly discloses their login credentials directly to the scammer.3542

In some cases, these links may also be used to install malware or other hostile programs on the user's device to track activity or gain unauthorized access to data.254