Tips for Understanding Phishing Tactics

𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲? 🤦♂️ If you haven't been targeted with this scam yet, don't feel left out: you'll likely see this message in your inbox sooner or later. What's the scammer's goal here? Money. You have it, they want it. What are the red flags? 🚩 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜 + 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠. The phrase "remarkable job history" is meant to make the recipient feel seen and recognized, while the scammer includes absolutely ZERO details to indicate they even glanced at my profile. 🚩 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. Melita's profile suggests that she's been an Executive at CEO for the last 4-1/2 years, while her Headline says she's a Director. It's almost as if she included multiple leadership titles hoping that at least one of them would convince me that she's trustworthy. 🤔 🚩 𝐔𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧. The scammer didn't send a connection request, and they immediately ask for both my email and phone number. They does this to avoid detection by LinkedIn or by any security team using tools to monitor employee LinkedIn messages. (And yes, those tools are available on the market today). If there was just one red flag, we might be able to write it off as benign, but all three? Oh, almost forgot... Right click on the profile image > Search Image with Google. It turns out that "Melita" is using the exact same profile pic as "Lourdes." I break down scams like this one so you share this info with your friends and family. Just because the cybersecurity pros in my network can spot these scams from a mile away doesn't mean that the folks we hang out with can do the same. And if you work in your organization's security outreach department, you should ABSOLUTELY build examples like this one into your security awareness training program. Phishing simulations are great, folks, but threat actors know that if they can compromise your people on social media, chances are you won't find out until the damage is done. Stay safe out there! #InformationSecurity #Cybersecurity #Security #SecurityAwareness #CISO ------- 💻 Connect with me (Jerod Brennen) here on LinkedIn for more info like this, and make sure to follow Simplifying Cybersecurity to keep your cybersecurity career moving forward. 🔐

It’s not paranoia if they really are out to get you. And guess what? They are. While you’re busy worrying about VPNs and password policies, scammers are sliding into your employees’ DMs with sweet nothings, fake job offers, and “just one click” crypto deals. Welcome to the trifecta of human-targeted scams: - Romance - Recruitment - Financial fraud They don’t need root access if they’ve already got your heart, your résumé, or your retirement account. Are you protecting your people? Not just their inboxes. Them. Here’s what you’re up against: ❗Deepfake-enabled fraud: $200M lost—in just one quarter of 2025 ❗AI-generated crypto scams: $4.6B stolen in 2024—up 24% ❗Over 50% of leaders admit: no employee training on deepfakes ❗61% of execs: zero protocols for addressing AI-generated threats Companies spend millions locking down endpoints—then leave their employees to get catfished by a deepfake on Tinder. But here’s the good news: you’re not powerless. You just have to stop pretending a phishing test is a strategy (please). Here’s how to actually reduce risk: ✔️Make your training real. Include romance bait, fake recruiters, and deepfake voicemails. If your simulations don’t mirror reality, it’s not training—it’s theater. ✔️Train managers to notice when something’s off. Isolation. Sudden secrecy. Financial stress. These aren’t just HR problems—they’re prime conditions for social engineering. ✔️Build a culture where it’s safe to ask, “Is this sketchy?” If your people feel dumb for asking, they’ll stop asking—and that’s how scams slip through. ✔️Partner with HR. Online exploitation, financial manipulation, digital coercion—these are wellness issues and security issues. Treat them that way. ✔️Empower families, not just employees. Scams often hit home first. Make your materials so good they want to send them to their group chat. Bonus: they’ll bring those healthy habits right back to work. When you protect the human—not just the hardware—you don’t just lower risk. You build trust. And for the record? Paranoia gets a bad rap. Sometimes it’s just pattern recognition. #Cybersecurity #HumanRisk #AIThreats #Deepfake #RomanceScams #AI #RecruitmentFraud #InsiderThreat #Leadership #DigitalWellness #SpycraftForWork