BRITECITY
Don’t Take the
Bait.
Phishing Awareness Training · Protecting Your Business
Make IT Easy
Today’s Agenda
What we’ll cover
- 01
The Phishing Threat
What it is, why it works, and how attackers think
- 02
Common Scam Types
BEC, spear phishing, smishing, vishing, and more
- 03
Red Flags to Spot
How to read an email like a security pro
- 04
Best Practices
Habits that stop attacks before they start
- 05
If You're Targeted
What to do, and what NOT to do
The Threat
What is phishing?
Phishing is a cyberattack where criminals impersonate trusted sources to steal credentials, money, or data. It works because it exploits human behavior, not just technology.
Why it works
Attackers create urgency, impersonate authority figures, and exploit trust. Your brain is wired to respond to these triggers, and attackers know it.
Common hooks: password reset required, invoice overdue, package undeliverable, account suspended, unusual sign-in detected.
Common Scam Types
Know your enemy
Mass-sent emails impersonating banks, vendors, Microsoft, or IT. Low personalization, high volume.
Targeted attack using your name, role, or company. Much harder to spot. Often impersonates your CEO or IT.
Attacker hijacks or spoofs a real email thread. Targets finance teams with fake wire transfer or invoice requests.
Phishing via text message. Fake shipping alerts, bank OTPs, HR notices. Tap = compromise.
Phone-based attack. Caller claims to be IT support, IRS, or your bank. Designed to create panic and urgency.
Highly targeted phishing aimed at executives (CEO, CFO). Higher stakes, more sophisticated, often involves wire transfers.
Red Flags
Anatomy of a phishing email
- From
- support@microsofft-help.com
- To
- you@yourcompany.com
- Subject
- ⚠ Urgent: Your account will be suspended in 24hrs
- Date
- Today 11:47 PM
Dear Valued Customer,
Your account has been flagged for unusual activity. You must verify your identity immediately or your account will be permanently deleted.
[Click Here to Verify Now]
- 1.Misspelled domain
- 2.Sent late at night
- 3.Creates urgency / fear
- 4.Generic greeting
- 5.Suspicious link
Real-World Scams
The scams most likely to hit your business
Fake Invoice / Wire Transfer
Attacker poses as a vendor or exec and requests an urgent payment change. Finance receives a nearly identical email domain. Funds are wired before anyone checks.
IT Support Impersonation
"Your account shows a security breach, please click this link to reset your password immediately." Often spoofs Microsoft, Google, or your IT provider.
Fake DocuSign / Adobe Sign
A document "requires your signature" via a spoofed link. The sign-in page harvests your Microsoft 365 or Google credentials.
CEO / Executive Fraud
"Hey, I'm in a meeting and need you to buy $500 in gift cards and email me the codes. Keep this between us." Targets assistants and finance staff.
Best Practices
Habits that stop attacks cold
- 1
Verify before you act
Got a wire transfer request? Unusual login link? Call the sender directly using a number you already have, never one in the email.
- 2
Hover before you click
Hover over any link to preview the real URL. If the domain doesn't match exactly, don't click.
- 3
Use MFA everywhere
Multi-factor authentication blocks 99.9% of account-compromise attacks, even if your password is stolen (Microsoft, 2019).
- 4
Don't bypass IT procedures
Urgency is a manipulation tactic. Legitimate requests follow process. If someone pressures you to skip steps, that's a red flag.
- 5
Report suspicious emails
Don't delete. Don't ignore. Report it to your IT team so patterns can be identified and threats blocked for everyone.
If You’re Targeted
Clicked a link? Entered credentials? Here’s what to do.
- Stay calm, panicking leads to more mistakes
- Contact your IT team immediately
- Disconnect from the network if malware may have run
- Change your password from a clean device
- Report the email so IT can trace and block the threat
- Don’t ignore it or hope nothing happens
- Don’t try to handle it yourself without IT
- Don’t keep using the device until IT clears it
- Don’t tell others "it’s fine", escalate immediately
- Don’t be embarrassed, reporting saves your company
Quick Reference
Spot it. Stop it. Report it.
- Sender domain doesn't match exactly
- Urgency or fear-based language
- Unexpected attachments or links
- Generic greeting ("Dear Customer")
- Request to bypass normal process
- Unusual time sent (late night / weekend)
- Don’t click, hover first
- Never enter credentials from an email link
- Call the sender to verify
- Use MFA on every account
- Keep software and OS updated
- Think before you forward
- Forward to IT team immediately
- Use your email client's Report Phishing button
- Screenshot + preserve the email
- Note time and any actions taken
- Change passwords if you clicked
- Don’t delete until IT reviews it
BRITECITY
Questions?
Your techTEAM is here to help keep you protected.
Forward it to your IT team immediately. Don’t delete it. Don’t ignore it.
We’d rather get 10 false alarms than miss one real threat.
When in doubt, reach out.
Make IT Easy