What does P H stand for in phishing?

Answer 1

"Phishing" as a term meaning to attempt to fraudulently obtain information over the internet was first noted in 1996. The PH doesn't stand for anything, but the word may derive from a combination of "fishing"; from the idea of supplying a "baited" email and "phreaking". "Phreaking" was a combination of "phone" and "freak" and was the attempt to use tones to control the early long distance calls from the subscribers phone.