Training Users to Spot and Avoid Phishing Attempts

The Situation

Phishing Is Targeting Every Industry

Phishing attacks are a growing concern for organizations of every size. These scams don’t target just one industry. Whether it’s a hospital, financial firm, or school district, attackers look for any opportunity where someone might let their guard down. Most companies already use firewalls and antivirus tools, but phishing works by tricking people, not systems. That means even well-defended networks are still vulnerable.

These attacks are nonstop. Employees might receive phishing emails every week, and some messages are convincing enough to fool even experienced users. One mistake can cause more than just a security issue. A successful phishing attempt can lead to downtime, lost data, or a serious breach. It may take hours or even days to recover. As scams become harder to detect, preparing users becomes even more important.

The Challenge

Most Aren’t Trained to Spot Phishing

Even when companies recognize the risk, most don’t have a consistent way to train their teams. New hires may get a quick overview, but ongoing practice is often missing. Without regular exposure to real examples, people rely on instinct. A small detail, like a fake link or a familiar name, can be enough to fool someone. When users aren’t sure what to look for, they are more likely to fall for the scam.

Responsibility for phishing prevention is often unclear. IT teams manage the tools that block known threats, but they can’t control how users respond in real time. At the same time, employees rarely receive feedback if they make a mistake or nearly fall for a phishing test. Without that feedback loop, learning stalls. The organization stays exposed, and small errors continue to create large risks.

The Solution

Preparing Users For Real-World Phishing

To help reduce phishing risk, ITonDemand provides Security Awareness Training powered by Huntress. This tool sends fake phishing emails to employees on a regular basis, designed to look like the real scams attackers use. Some mimic password reset notices. Others pose as missed delivery updates or messages from company leadership. These emails are crafted to catch users off guard and test how they respond.

If someone clicks on a fake email, they are immediately directed to a 404 error page or a training page, depending on company preferences. It explains what they missed, shows the warning signs they overlooked, and reinforces how to handle similar situations in the future. This feedback appears in the moment, turning the mistake into a learning opportunity.

Unlike one-time training sessions or annual compliance videos, this approach is ongoing and adaptive. Each interaction helps reinforce awareness and reduce guesswork. Over time, employees become more confident and better prepared to recognize suspicious messages. At the same time, IT teams receive reports showing how users are performing, which helps identify patterns and where additional support might be needed.

The phishing tests also reflect the day-to-day reality of different job roles. A finance employee might get a fake invoice. HR staff may receive a link to what looks like a candidate’s resume. By tailoring each message to match the user’s environment, the training feels more relevant and the lessons are more likely to stick.

The Result

What Effective Phishing Training Looks Like

Organizations using our training have seen clear improvements in how employees respond to phishing attempts. In many cases, compromise rates drop within the first few rounds of testing. As users start to recognize common tactics, they become quicker to spot suspicious messages.

But progress doesn’t always follow a straight path. Some simulations are designed to be more subtle or harder to detect, and those can still trick even well-trained users. That’s part of the process. If no one ever clicks, the training may not be realistic enough. The goal is to prepare users for what they might actually face, including harder-to-spot threats.

We also see that different types of phishing attempts affect different users. What fools an HR team might not fool accounting, and vice versa. The training adjusts to these patterns over time, using a mix of scenarios that reflect each organization’s structure and day-to-day tasks. This makes the learning more relevant and helps ensure that each team is being challenged in a way that improves their awareness.

For IT leaders, this provides more than just a score. The training gives visibility into how users are improving, where the risks are, and what types of tactics are most likely to cause confusion. Over time, it helps build a workforce that is not just more alert, but more resilient in the face of real-world phishing threats. That kind of readiness is difficult to measure, but easy to recognize when it counts.

Our Partners

About The Clients We Work With

Our partners operate in a wide range of industries, including healthcare, finance, education,  manufacturing, and more. While their missions differ, each organization depends on secure systems and informed users to keep operations running safely. Some serve local communities, while others operate at a national level. No matter the scale, all of our clients recognize that effective cybersecurity starts with their people.