Operational ‘Pretexting Attack’ Method
A tradecraft technique where an operative crafts a persona or scenario to gain sensitive information from a target without raising suspicion.
Pretexting is one of the oldest tricks in the book of espionage. It’s a used to gather information by building a fake backstory or identity that looks plausible to your target. This approach gets people to hand over details they wouldn’t otherwise share with a stranger.
Pretexting attacks can be simple or highly complex, depending on the target, and require careful planning, patience, and a lot of confidence. This intel covers the essentials of operational pretexting, its importance for covert action, and some key techniques to make it effective for both fieldwork and strategic purposes.
Operational pretexting is an art as much as it is a science – a powerful tool to gather information or complete an objective without blowing your cover. This approach has a high degree of risk, but with solid tradecraft and strategic thinking, pretexting can be a key asset in an operative’s toolkit.
[INTEL : ‘Anchoring’: A Tactic of Manipulating Behavior]
[OPTICS : Berlin, Germany]