When you hear the word “rapport,” what do you think of? It often involves actions like mirroring the other person’s body language and offering a warm smile, which can significantly enhance your connection. What if you had to build rapport without seeing the other person? That’s the case with vishing. Vishing (voice phishing) is a common vector in social engineering attacks. Also, ethical social engineers use vishing as part of their testing and training programs. Let’s see how rapport can be built during vishing.
Tone
The tone of voice in phone conversations is crucial as it conveys emotions that words alone cannot. Unlike face-to-face interactions, where body language and facial expressions provide additional context, phone conversations rely heavily on vocal cues. While an indifferent tone can create tension, smiling gently can result in a warm and friendly tone that conveys confidence. This can put the person on the receiving end at ease and help to lower their guard.
Liking
Liking is one of Robert Cialdini’s six principles of influence, it states that people are much more likely to be influenced and persuaded by those that they like, than those that they don’t. Simply put, people like people that are like them. A social engineer may use this principle of influence to build rapport by finding things in common with the intended target thus leading the other person to believe they are like them. This must be done in a subtle way so as not to sound as if you’re mocking the other person. Finding genuine commonalities always works best than made up ones.
Tribe
According to Psycologytoday.com “tribalism refers to humans forming social groups and identifying with them, driven by shared identity, values, and goals.” Building rapport through the concept of a tribe involves creating connections based on these things. Social engineers use this principle on vishing calls when impersonating a colleague of the same company. Through OSINT found, they can also mention specific industry jargon or terminology used by a corporation thus making themselves part of the same tribe.
Actively Listening
Establishing rapport through active listening is a powerful way to build trust. Active listening involves not just hearing the words being spoken but also understanding the underlying emotions of what’s being said. This means avoiding interruptions and providing cues that you are engaged. Doing this validates the speaker’s experience, making them feel valued and understood, which in turn fosters a sense of rapport.
Ethical Social Engineers
The principes stated above are only a few of the techniques used by social engineers to establish rapport. With Social-Engineer’s Managed Vishing Service, all of our vishing calls are performed by our certified, ethical social engineers. This provides a realistic learning environment as they can pivot and adjust their conversations like real attackers. They employ the same techniques as malicious attackers. However, one thing sets them apart, empathy. Our motto at Social-Engineer, LLC is “leave them better for having met you.” Thus, we never use extreme fear or negative pretexts that would embarrass or demoralize the employees we test. Our goal is to test, educate, and protect, while leaving you feeling better for having met us.
Written by
Rosa Rowles
Human Risk Analyst
