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EMPLOYEE SECURITY TRAINING
Your team is the last firewall.
Phishing and spam training for employees
Most break ins start with a person clicking, replying or typing a password into a fake page. Untrained, about one in three employees will click a test phishing email. After a year of regular short training, that drops to about one in twenty. We teach your team to spot it, stop it and report it.
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The short version
- About 6 in 10 data breaches involve a person: a click, a reply, a reused password or a mistake.
- Untrained staff click test phishing emails about 33 percent of the time. With a year of ongoing training it falls to around 4 to 5 percent.
- Training once a year fades. Short lessons every month or quarter keep it working.
- AI now writes clean, convincing phishing with no spelling mistakes, so old tips are not enough.
- The goal is a team that reports suspicious messages fast, not one that is afraid of email.
~60%of breaches involve a person
33%untrained click rate
~4%after 12 months of training
21 secmedian time to click a phishing link
What phishing looks like in 2026
📧Fake IT and HR emailsPassword expiring, new benefits form, shared document waiting. Most failed tests now imitate internal messages.
📱Text message scamsFake toll, DMV, court, package and bank texts. In California, FasTrak, DMV and Franchise Tax Board scams are common.
📞Phone and voice clonesA call that sounds like your boss asking for gift cards or a quick payment. AI can copy a voice from a short clip.
▩QR code phishingA QR code in an email, flyer or parking sign that leads to a fake login or payment page.
🧾Fake invoicesA vendor's "new bank account," or a real looking bill sent from a hacked vendor mailbox.
🔒Login prompt floodsRepeated sign in approval pop ups until someone taps Approve just to make them stop.
See five real looking phishing examples explained →
The 5 second check before you click
- Sender: is the address exactly right, character by character?
- Surprise: were you expecting this? Unexpected plus urgent equals suspicious.
- Link: hover or long press. Does the real address match the company?
- Ask: does it want a password, payment, gift card, or a change of bank details?
- Pressure: "today," "final notice," "keep this confidential." Slow down.
If any answer feels wrong, do not click, do not reply, and verify using a phone number or website you already know.
Spam vs phishing: what to do with each
| Spam | Phishing | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Unwanted ads and junk | A trick to steal money, passwords or data |
| Risk | Annoying, wastes time | Can lead to stolen funds, ransomware, data breach |
| What to do | Mark as junk, do not click unsubscribe on shady mail | Use the Report button, tell IT or your manager, then delete |
| Texts | Block and delete | Forward to 7726 (SPAM), then block and delete |
"I clicked." What now?
Clicking is not a firing offense. Hiding it is what causes the damage. Train everyone on this simple rule:
- Disconnect from Wi Fi or unplug the network cable if something downloaded.
- Tell IT or your manager right away. Minutes matter.
- If you typed a password, change it from a different device and turn on multi factor sign in.
- If money or bank details were involved, call the bank immediately.
How our phishing training works
- Kickoff class: 45 to 60 minutes, on site at your office, at our Victorville location, or live online.
- Short refreshers: a few minutes a month, so the lessons stick instead of fading.
- Practice phishing tests: optional safe test emails, only with the owner's written approval, followed by quick coaching, not blame.
- Report button: we set up one click reporting in Outlook and Microsoft 365.
- Proof of training: attendance and completion records for cyber insurance, HIPAA, PCI and ALTA.
- Industry examples: real scams aimed at your field, from escrow wires to school payroll to church gift card requests.
Start with our free quick security lessons, then see the full cybersecurity course catalog.
Your team is the last firewall.Train my team
Sources
- Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, 2025 and 2026 editions.
- KnowBe4 Phishing by Industry Benchmarking Report, 2025 and 2026.
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 Internet Crime Report.
- California Attorney General consumer alerts on text message scams.