#ThreatDigest: How to Bait a TOAD: Avoiding and Reporting Phone Threats

Have you ever been bitten by a TOAD? No, we're not talking about the marsh-dwelling amphibian. We're discussing telephone oriented attack deliveries (TOADs) in which scammers use real phone numbers to gain access to information and accounts.TOADS represent an atypical — but very poisonous — online threat especially to men in the 20-50 age range. Featuring believable fake invoices and U.S.-based phone numbers, these scammers can hop off with hundreds or thousands of your dollars.On this episode of Protecting People, hosts Selena Larson and Crista Giering chat with Tim Kromphardt, Email Threat Researcher at Proofpoint, about TOADS, how to avoid them, bait them, or report them.Join us as we discuss:The two kinds of TOAD threatsHow investigators locate and shut down TOAD scammersWhat the scambaiting community doesWhere and how to report a TOAD attack  Resources mentioned:Caught Beneath the Landline: A 411 on Telephone Oriented Attack Delivery  For more episodes like this one, subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the Proofpoint website, or just search for Protecting People in your favorite podcast player.