Phishing Awareness

Phishing Awareness develops a practical approach to suspicious messages, calls and online requests. A convincing scam may look professional, use a familiar name and arrive at exactly the moment someone is expecting an invoice or delivery. This course helps learners look beyond presentation and consider the request, its context and the safest way to verify it.

The eight teaching modules cover email phishing, text-message scams, QR-code phishing, messaging apps, social media and telephone impersonation. Learners explore malicious links, fake websites, attachments, credential theft, business email compromise and payment fraud through situations relevant to everyday work.

The course explains how pressure, authority, urgency and familiarity can influence a response. Learners practise pausing before opening, replying, signing in or paying, and checking unusual instructions through a trusted route independent of the original message.

It also addresses what happens after a mistake. Clear guidance encourages prompt reporting of a clicked link, shared password or suspicious payment request, with useful factual information for the team handling the incident. The course promotes early reporting and constructive learning.

Designed for non-specialists, this training suits anyone who receives workplace communications or handles information, access or payments. A separate final assessment checks understanding. Learners should apply the approach alongside their organisation’s verification, payment and incident-reporting procedures.

By completing this course, learners will be able to:

• Explain phishing and social engineering in plain workplace language.

• Identify suspicious features across email, text, QR-code and telephone scenarios.

• Assess a request using several contextual clues rather than spelling alone.

• Recognise an attempt to obtain credentials or authentication codes.

• Choose an independent route to verify an unusual request.

• Apply additional care to payment changes and urgent financial instructions.

• Describe an appropriate first response after a suspected phishing mistake.

• Report useful details through the organisation’s approved route.

• Distinguish employee awareness actions from technical investigation.

• Demonstrate a pause, verify and report approach in a realistic scenario.

Course Content

Module 1 - Understanding Phishing and Why It Works

Module Learning Outcomes

By the end of this Module, learners will be able to:

• Define phishing in plain language using NCSC framing.

• Explain why convincing messages may look professional.

• Recognise pressure and manipulation before taking action.

• Use a separate trusted route to verify doubtful requests.

Module 2 - Recognising Suspicious Emails and Sender Impersonation

Module Learning Outcomes

By the end of this Module, learners will be able to:

• Check sender and context without over-relying on visual appearance.

• Recognise unusual or unexpected requests.

• Avoid using contact details supplied in a suspicious message.

• Verify independently using known or official details.

Module 3 - Smishing, QR Phishing, Messaging Apps and Social Media Scams

Module Learning Outcomes

By the end of this Module, learners will be able to:

• Recognise smishing and QR-based phishing.

• Pause before following shortened or unexpected links.

• Verify unusual requests independently.

• Report suspicious texts through current official routes where appropriate.

Module 4 - Vishing, Impersonation and Social Engineering

Module Learning Outcomes

By the end of this Module, learners will be able to:

• Recognise vishing and phone-based impersonation.

• Understand how urgency and authority create pressure.

• End or pause suspicious contact when appropriate.

• Call back using trusted contact details, not details supplied by the caller.

Module 5 - Malicious Links, Fake Websites, Attachments and Credential Theft

Module Learning Outcomes

By the end of this Module, learners will be able to:

• Avoid following unexpected links from suspicious communications.

• Use trusted routes to reach services rather than links in doubtful messages.

• Recognise fake sign-in pages at awareness level.

• Know what to do after clicking or sharing credentials.

Module 6 - Business Email Compromise, Payment Fraud and High-Risk Requests

Module Learning Outcomes

By the end of this Module, learners will be able to:

• Recognise high-risk financial and data requests.

• Do not rely on an email thread alone as proof of identity.

• Verify changes through a separate trusted channel.

• Follow organisational payment and approval controls.

Module 7 - Safe Response, Reporting and What to Do After a Mistake

Module Learning Outcomes

By the end of this Module, learners will be able to:

• Report suspicious emails, texts, calls and websites using current official routes where relevant.

• Tell the organisation promptly if a work device or account may be affected.

• Take immediate protective action after sharing passwords, banking details or other sensitive information.

• Avoid shame or delay after a mistake.

Module 8 - Building Phishing-Resilient Workplace Habits

Module Learning Outcomes

By the end of this Module, learners will be able to:

• Apply STOP-CHECK-VERIFY-REPORT-LEARN consistently.

• Speak up about suspicious activity and near misses.

• Understand that phishing resistance is a shared workplace responsibility.

• Review what personal information is publicly available where appropriate.