The English We Speak – Phishing

Rob    
Delete! Delete! Delete!

Feifei
Rob? Why are you so annoyed? And what are you deleting.

Rob
Can’t you see, Feifei? I’m checking and deleting my emails and … all this phishing!

Feifei
I thought you liked fishing, Rob. You always show us pictures of all the big fish you’ve caught.

Rob
No. Fishing with an ‘F’ is good but phishing with a ‘ph’ is not!

Feifei
So you’re deleting all the ‘ph’s? All the spelling mistakes?

Rob
It’s not a spelling mistake. Phishing – with ‘ph’ – is one of those words that’s become popular as we use the internet more and more. It’s the name of a particular kind of fraud on the internet.

Feifei
Fraud?

Rob
Yes. It’s what we say when someone sends you an email pretending to be a reputable company or person hoping you’ll respond and give them your personal information. They want things like your bank account number, password, that kind of thing.

Feifei
Oh! So the email is a bait!

Rob
Yes, exactly. ‘Phishing’ with ‘ph’ is today’s expression in The English We Speak. Let’s hear some examples of how it’s used.

Examples
Our bank never sends emails to clients asking them to reply to a message confirming their password. I’m afraid you’ve been a victim of phishing, sir.

I’ve just received an email informing me that I won the lottery. They want my bank details to deposit the prize. But I’ve never entered the lottery. This must be phishing!

Rob
So now you know what kind of phishing I was talking about!

Feifei
Yes. They wanted your bank details, but we’re not taking their bait, are we? 

Rob
No, we’re not. Definitely not! 

Feifei
Hmmm, I think I have some of these phishing emails in my inbox too.

Rob
So let’s get rid of them all! Come on!

Both
Delete! Delete! Delete! Bye!

Rob
Delete!