Online scam

• Attempting to get confidential information by sending fake emails
• Nefarious masquerade
• After pub, I drunkenly confess online fraud

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
in the cyber scam sense, by 2000 (some sources cite usage from 1995); alteration of fishing (n.); perhaps by influence of phreak and the U.S. rock band Phish , which had been performing since 1983.\n

Wikipedia Word definitions in Wikipedia
' Phishing ' is the attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money ), often for malicious reasons, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication . ...

Wiktionary Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. 1 (context computing English) The act of sending email that falsely claims to be from a legitimate organization. This is usually combined with a threat or request for information: for example, that an account will close, a balance is due, or information ...