The act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scamA confidence game or other fraudulent scheme, especially for making a quick profit; the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theftCrime in which an imposter obtains key pieces of personal information, such as Social Security or driver's license numbers, in order to impersonate someone else.. The e-mail directs the user to visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and creditMoney loaned or the ability of an individual or company to borrow money. card, social security, and bank account numbers, that the legitimate organization already has. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user’s information.