Why this matters
Not all phishing arrives by email. Smishing is phishing by text message, and vishing is phishing by phone call. Both feel more personal and urgent than email — a text buzzes on your phone, a caller speaks to you directly — and that pressure is exactly what fraudsters count on.
These scams are rising fast, partly because AI now lets fraudsters send flawless texts and even clone real voices. Knowing how they work makes them far easier to resist.
Smishing: scam text messages
A smishing message looks like an alert from a company you trust and pushes you to tap a link or call a number.
Common examples:
"Your parcel is on hold. Pay a €2 redelivery fee: [link]."
"Your account has been locked. Verify here: [link]."
"A payment of €480 was authorised. If this wasn't you, tap here."
How to protect yourself:
Don't tap links in unexpected texts — open the official app or website yourself.
Don't call back numbers from the message; use the official number from the app or card.
Remember that a real sender name in a text can be spoofed, so the name alone means nothing.
Delete the message once you've checked — and report it if it's a scam.
Vishing: scam phone calls
In a vishing call, a fraudster pretends to be your bank, a payment provider, the police, a tax office, or tech support. They use authority and urgency to pressure you into sharing information or moving money.
Common tactics:
Claiming your account is under attack and you must "act now."
Asking you to read out a verification code "to confirm your identity."
Telling you to move your money to a "safe account."
Asking you to install an app so they can "help" (this gives them remote access).
A newer threat — AI voice cloning: fraudsters can copy a familiar voice from a short clip and call sounding like a relative or colleague in distress. → See: Emerging Scam Techniques to Watch
How to protect yourself:
Hang up if you feel pressured. A real institution won't mind you calling back.
Call back on an official number you find yourself — never the one the caller gives you.
Never share codes, passwords, or PINs over the phone. No genuine company, including us, will ask.
Never move money to a "safe account." This request is always a scam.
Agree a safe word with close family for genuine emergencies.
What these scams look like together
A common combo: you get a smishing text about a "blocked account," you call the number in it, and a convincing "agent" (vishing) walks you through "securing" your money — straight into the fraudster's hands. Breaking the chain at any point stops the scam.
Remember how we contact you
Our emails come only from support@blackcat.app (rarely support2@blackcatcard.com for some long-standing customers).
Our genuine support is the 24/7 chat inside the Blackcat and Blackcatcard apps.
We will never call or text you to ask for a password, a verification code, or to move your money.
What to do if you responded
If you shared a password or code, change your password and enable two-factor authentication.
If you moved money or installed an app the caller asked for, contact us immediately through the in-app chat.
Uninstall any remote-access app you were told to add.
Report the number and message so we can warn others.
→ See: I Think I've Been Scammed: Immediate Steps