TOAD attack

noun

Abbreviation for “telephone-oriented attack delivery attack”: a type of fraud where a criminal contacts someone by phone, text or email and tricks them into giving information such as passwords, bank account details etc.

First used 2020s
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Meanings

nounTOAD attack (plural TOAD attacks)

plural TOAD attacks

  1. neologismcomputingAbbreviation for “telephone-oriented attack delivery attack”: a type of fraud where a criminal contacts someone by phone, text or email and tricks them into giving information such as passwords, bank account details etc.First known use 2020s

    TOAD attacks often involve callback phishing, where victims are tricked into calling fake call centers. Before they strike, scammers will gather a victim’s credentials from various sources, such as past data breaches, social media profiles, and information bought on the dark web.

    2024 June 6, Alex Lvoff, “How TOAD Scams Manipulate and Cheat Customers”, in Experian

Origin

Abbreviation from telephone-oriented attack delivery attack.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

TOAD attack. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/TOAD%20attack

MLA

“TOAD attack.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/TOAD%20attack. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “TOAD attack,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/TOAD%20attack.

Source: TOAD attack on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.