When most people hear phishing, they imagine clumsy emails about the “Nigerian prince” or obvious grammar mistakes. But modern phishing doesn’t look like that anymore.
Today’s attacks are polished, professional, and frighteningly convincing. They mimic business tools, partner communications, even your own CEO’s tone of voice.
Real examples we’ve seen
- Invoice from a “supplier” — same logo, same style, just one digit off in the bank account number.
- Password reset emails — identical to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace templates, with a fake login page.
- CEO requests — urgent messages asking to “approve a payment” or “share a document,” sent from lookalike domains.
- Collaboration invites — fake Dropbox or DocuSign notifications leading to credential theft.
No misspellings. No bad design. Just enough urgency and familiarity to make employees click.
Why this works
- Employees are trained to trust internal tools and partners.
- Attackers study the company’s language and habits.
- A single click can bypass all technical defenses if credentials are stolen.
What businesses should do
- 🧑🏫 Train employees with real-world examples, not outdated ones. Show what phishing looks like today.
- 🔑 Use multi-factor authentication (MFA). Even if credentials leak, attackers can’t log in.
- 🔍 Monitor for lookalike domains. Attackers often register names that differ by just one letter.
- 📊 Run phishing simulations. Let staff practice spotting suspicious messages in a safe setting.
- 🚫 Create a “no-blame” reporting culture. Employees should feel safe to ask: “Is this real?”
Final thought
Phishing is no longer about broken English and obvious scams.
It’s about trust, timing, and psychology.
If your defenses are based on old stereotypes, your company is already exposed.
