Which type of phishing scheme utilizes text messages to obtain sensitive information?

The answer is correct because smishing specifically refers to phishing attacks that occur via SMS text messages. In these schemes, attackers send fraudulent text messages that often masquerade as messages from legitimate organizations, aiming to trick recipients into providing personal information, such as passwords or financial data.

This form of phishing has gained prominence due to the widespread use of mobile devices, where users may be more susceptible to clicking links or responding to messages on their phones without the same level of scrutiny they may apply to emails.

In contrast, the other options represent different forms of phishing or fraud. Vishing involves voice calls, typically via phone, instead of text messages; email phishing focuses on fraudulent emails attempting to deceive recipients into sharing sensitive data; and pharming is a technique that redirects users from legitimate websites to malicious sites without their knowledge, which is unrelated to text messaging. Thus, the distinction of smishing as a text-based phishing technique makes it the correct choice in this context.