---
id: 547
title: "Tricks, not treats: Social engineering tactics that fool the smartest of us"
source_domain: bugcrowd.com
source_url: "https://www.bugcrowd.com/blog/tricks-not-treats-social-engineering-tactics-that-fool-the-smartest-of-us/"
published_at: "2025-10-23 12:00"
tags: ["osint", "phishing", "social-engineering", "human-risk", "scattered-spider", "sim-swap"]
phying_url: "https://phying.com/item/547"
lang: en
---

# Tricks, not treats: Social engineering tactics that fool the smartest of us

## Summary

Social engineering targets the mind, not machines. Scattered Spider harvests employee details online, impersonates trusted staff, and uses SIM swaps to steal credentials and gain initial access.

## Intelligence Metadata

- **Sources:** bugcrowd.com
- **Published:** 2025-10-23 12:00
- **Original:** https://www.bugcrowd.com/blog/tricks-not-treats-social-engineering-tactics-that-fool-the-smartest-of-us/
- **Phying News:** https://phying.com/item/547