What do we call fraudulent attempts by individuals to obtain confidential information from a person by falsifying their identity, often through fake emails or websites?

Introduction / Context:
Cybercriminals often try to trick people into revealing confidential information such as passwords, bank details, or personal identification numbers. One common method is to pretend to be a trusted organisation, such as a bank or a government agency, usually through emails, messages, or fake websites. Understanding the term for this type of attack is important for basic computer security awareness and is frequently tested in general knowledge exams.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The attacker falsifies identity, pretending to be someone trustworthy.
• The goal is to obtain confidential information from the victim.
• The options include spyware scams, phishing scams, computer viruses, and None.
• We assume typical email and website based fraud that asks users to click links and enter sensitive data.

Concept / Approach:
Phishing is a social engineering technique where attackers send fraudulent messages, often emails or text messages, that appear to come from legitimate sources. The messages direct victims to fake websites or forms that capture logins, card numbers, or other sensitive data. Spyware is malicious software that secretly monitors user activity, but it does not usually rely on fake identity messages. Computer viruses are programs that replicate and spread to damage systems or data, not primarily to trick users into voluntarily giving up information. Therefore, the correct name for these fake identity attempts to steal confidential information is phishing scams.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the description: obtaining confidential information by falsifying identity. Step 2: Recall the definition of phishing. Phishing involves sending deceptive messages that appear to come from trusted entities, luring victims to reveal personal data. Step 3: Compare with spyware. Spyware runs on a victim's computer to secretly collect information but does not rely on pretending to be another person in emails or websites. Step 4: Compare with viruses. Viruses spread through infected programs and often cause damage, but not necessarily through social engineering identity tricks. Step 5: Recognise that phishing scams fit the description exactly. Step 6: Choose “Phishing scams” as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Security awareness guides from banks and technology companies warn users specifically about phishing emails that ask them to update account details or reset passwords via suspicious links. They emphasise that the attacker pretends to be the bank or service provider. These guides label this behaviour as phishing and advise users never to click unknown links or enter credentials on untrusted sites. Spyware and viruses are discussed separately as types of malware that infect computers rather than as social engineering fraud involving fake identities. This confirms that phishing scams is the correct term for the behaviour described in the question.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A (Spyware scams): Spyware silently collects information by running in the background on a computer; it is not primarily about fake messages that impersonate trusted organisations. Option C (Computer viruses): Viruses spread by infecting files and systems; they may cause damage but are not defined by identity falsification. Option D (None): Incorrect because the correct term, phishing scams, is already provided in the options.

Common Pitfalls:
People sometimes classify any online fraud as a virus or spyware problem, even when the main issue is that the user was tricked by a fake email. This leads to confusion between technical malware and social engineering. To avoid this mistake, remember that phishing always involves a fraudulent message that pretends to be from a legitimate source and asks the user to reveal secrets. Whenever you see a question about obtaining confidential information through fake identity messages, the key term to look for is phishing.

Final Answer:
Fraudulent attempts to obtain confidential information by falsifying identity are called Phishing scams.