Understanding the difference between phishing and blagging can help you recognise the warning signs before it’s too late. Both attacks are designed to trick people into revealing information but they use very different approaches. Knowing how to spot them is one of the simplest ways to protect your organisation.
Understanding the Difference Between Phishing and Blagging
Cyber criminals are constantly developing new ways to manipulate people into sharing sensitive information. Two of the most common methods are phishing and blagging both rely on deception, but they use different tactics to achieve their goals.
What Is Phishing?
Phishing is a social engineering attack where cyber criminals send fraudulent messages, often by email, text or social media, to trick victims into revealing personal information or login details.
These messages often impersonate trusted organisations such as banks, online retailers, or delivery companies. The attacker creates a sense of urgency or reward, prompting the user to click a link, enter their credentials, or make a payment.
Common examples include:
- Emails claiming to be from your bank asking you to “verify your account”
- A retailer offering a “limited-time discount” that leads to a fake checkout page
- Messages from delivery companies asking for a small payment to release a parcel
Once a victim responds, attackers can steal financial details, install malware, or gain unauthorised access to accounts.
What Is Blagging?
Blagging is a targeted form of phishing, sometimes referred to as spear phishing. Rather than sending out thousands of generic emails, a blagger creates a specific, believable scenario to manipulate one individual or organisation.
Blagging attacks rely on trust, familiarity and emotion, not technical vulnerabilities. They often impersonate someone known to the victim, such as a manager, colleague, or family member.
Typical examples include:
- A message pretending to be from your boss asking for an urgent payment transfer
- A text claiming to be from a family member who has lost their phone and needs money
- An attacker posing as an IT technician requesting login credentials to “fix” an issue
These attacks are highly convincing because they are personalised and often use information gathered from social media, company websites, or public records.
Phishing vs Blagging: Key Differences
While both techniques are used to deceive victims and steal data, their methods differ:
| Phishing | Blagging |
| Usually generic and sent to large numbers of recipients | Highly targeted to a specific individual or organisation |
| Relies on impersonating brands or services | Relies on impersonating people |
| Often uses emails or fake websites | Often uses direct messages, calls or personalised emails |
| Plays on curiosity, fear or urgency | Plays on trust, emotion and familiarity |
| Easier to spot (spelling errors, strange links) | Harder to detect. May appear authentic and personal |
In simple terms:
Phishing casts the net wide.
Blagging targets one person directly.
Why Blagging Is So Dangerous
Blagging is particularly dangerous because it exploits human psychology. Even well-trained employees can fall for a message that seems personal and urgent. These attacks can lead to:
- Financial loss through fraudulent transfers
- Data breaches exposing sensitive information
- Reputational damage to organisations
- Disruption of business operations
Unlike mass phishing campaigns, blagging often involves research and planning, making it more sophisticated and harder to prevent.
How to Protect Your Organisation
Reducing the risk of phishing and blagging requires both technology and training.
Here are practical steps every organisation should take:
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all key systems.
- Use email filtering to block known phishing domains and malicious attachments.
- Educate employees through regular cyber awareness training.
- Simulate phishing attacks to test response and awareness.
- Encourage a “pause before you act” culture. Employees should feel confident to verify unusual requests, even from senior staff.
Building a Security-Aware Culture
Whether it’s phishing or blagging, most attacks succeed because of human error, not technology. A culture of awareness, backed by the right technical controls, is the strongest defence.
At Amicis Group, we help organisations strengthen their cyber security posture through services such as:
- Security Awareness Training
- Vulnerability Scanning and Penetration Testing
- Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
- CyberGuard: Our managed security service for SMEs
Together, these measures protect your people, your systems, and your reputation.
Final Thoughts
The difference between phishing and blagging lies in their approach, but both depend on deception and trust. Recognising the signs and promoting awareness within your organisation can prevent costly mistakes.
You may be interested in our cyber security awareness training page.
If you’d like to assess your current resilience or arrange a staff awareness session, contact Amicis Group or call 0333 305 5348 to learn how we can help protect your business.
