“All you need to be a phisherman is patience and a worm”
Stephen J. Hinde · Computer Fraud & Security · 2004
Taking the same etymological root as phreaking, the word fishing has been transmuted into phishing. The earliest reference to phishing was in the hacking magazine alt.2600 in January 1996. Fishers (and phishers) set out hooks, knowing that although most of their prey won't take the bait, they just might entice some to bite.