If you want to know how to train staff on phishing emails, start with this: the person attacking your business is usually trying to trick a human, not break a computer. Social engineering is behind a large share of successful hacks and data breaches, and many businesses report having fallen victim to one. That is why security awareness training is worth the small amount of time it takes.
These attacks follow recognisable patterns, so you can teach your team to spot them quickly. Teach your team six of them and you've covered most of what lands in their inbox, on their phone, or at the front door.
The tricks your team should recognise
1. Phishing: the message that wants your details
Phishing is the umbrella trick. Someone sends a message pretending to be a trusted source and asks you to do something, such as reply with personal details, log in, or pay an invoice. A classic version claims to be from your bank and asks you to "verify your identity" by sending your full name, date of birth and account number first.
Two variations matter for training. Spear phishing is researched and personal. The attacker reads public social media and searches the person's name, then poses as something familiar, like their local gym, so the message feels legitimate. Whaling is the same idea aimed at the "big fish": CEOs, CFOs and others with authority to move money or approve payments.
What staff should look for: an unexpected request for credentials or personal details, a sender who asks you to prove who you are before they'll help, and urgency attached to something routine. If a message appears to come from your bank, gym or supplier, contact that organisation through a number you already have, not the one in the email.
2. Vishing and smishing: the same trick by phone and text
Vishing is voice phishing, where a caller tries to talk a person into handing over information or giving remote access to their computer. The caller often creates fear or pressure to force a quick decision. Smishing is the text message version, using the same manipulation as email phishing but in SMS form.
What staff should look for: an unsolicited call about a problem they didn't know they had, pressure to stay on the line, or a link in a text from a number they don't recognise. The safe habit is to hang up or stop replying and call the organisation back on a number they look up themselves.
3. Pretexting: the invented story
Pretexting is where the attacker builds a false scenario so the victim feels obliged to comply. It is often used against organisations that hold client data, such as banks, credit card companies, utilities and the transport industry. The attacker may pose as a client or as a senior person inside your own business.
What staff should look for: a story that requires them to break a normal process, such as sharing client information with someone who hasn't been verified. A simple rule works well here. Verify identity through a separate channel before acting on any request that involves client or financial data.
4. Baiting: the free thing with a catch
Baiting dangles something tempting or curious in front of the victim. It might be a free music download or a gift card offer that leads to a request for login details. The physical version is a free USB drive handed out at a conference. It looks like a free storage device, but it can be loaded with malware that may infect the computer when plugged in.
What staff should look for: anything free that requires a login, and any unknown USB device. Our guide to fake software downloads covers this ground in more detail.
5. Tailgating and piggybacking: the door problem
Not every attack arrives digitally. Tailgating means following an authorised person into a restricted area without being noticed, perhaps by catching the door before it closes. Piggybacking is similar, except the authorised person knows and holds the door open, often out of kindness, for someone carrying heavy boxes or claiming to be a new employee who forgot their access badge.
What staff should look for: anyone entering secure areas without swiping their own pass. Being polite doesn't mean being careless. Staff should direct visitors to reception and check badges rather than assume.
6. Quid pro quo: the favour that costs your password
Quid pro quo is commonly glossed in English as "something for something". The attacker offers a service in exchange for information. A common version is a caller claiming to be from IT, working through the main phone line to find someone with a technical problem. Once they find that person, they offer to fix it in return for login credentials.
What staff should look for: anyone offering help who then asks for a password. Your IT provider, whether internal or a managed service provider, will never need a user's password to assist them. Staff should call the IT desk on a known number instead.
Why this matters more than it used to
Generative AI has made these tricks easier to run and harder to spot. AI tools may help attackers with limited technical skill produce targeted messages that mimic the tone, voice and style of real brands. Business email compromise, a scam usually driven by social engineering, is described by the FBI as "one of the most financially damaging online crimes", with losses in the billions of dollars.
The Australian context adds weight. The guidance for small and medium businesses is clear that regular reinforcement matters, and staff should always know who to report a suspicious message to. Under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, a successful attack that exposes personal information may trigger reporting obligations under the Privacy Act, so the cost isn't only financial.
How to train staff on phishing emails without IT skills
Training works best when it is regular, short and specific to the person receiving it. Research on the evidence for email phishing training shows the picture is mixed, and some studies have found that training programs don't always stop employees from falling for scams. The practical lesson is that awareness sessions alone aren't enough. Staff need realistic practice, feedback on what they missed, and repetition over time.
Simulated phishing is the simplest way to get that practice without technical effort. Phishing Training Australia runs realistic test emails against your team, tracks who opens, clicks or enters credentials, and automatically assigns training to anyone who needs it. Setup takes minutes: add names and email addresses, choose how often to test, and the platform handles the rest. Difficulty adjusts as each person improves, and you get plain dashboards and reports you can hand to a client or auditor.
Pricing is straightforward and in Australian dollars. The free trial covers two users with manual tests, the Standard plan is $50 a month for up to 10 users with full automation, and Enterprise is $50 plus $5 per user per month for unlimited users, custom domains and priority support.
Start with the free trial and send yourself a test email. Seeing what a convincing simulation looks like is the quickest way to understand what your team is up against, and the quickest way to begin building the habit of stopping and checking before anyone clicks.
