How to Spot Social Engineering in Messages and Meetings

Technology isn’t always the weakest link — people are. Social engineering attacks use manipulation, not malware, to get what they want. Here’s how to protect your team.

🎭 What Is Social Engineering?

It’s when attackers trick people into doing something risky:

• Sharing a password
• Paying a fake invoice
• Clicking a link or downloading malware

They often pose as someone you trust: a manager, coworker, supplier, or even “IT support.”

🚨 Common Tactics

• Urgency: “You must act NOW!”
• Impersonation: “I’m the CFO. Please send this payment.”
• Authority pressure: “I need your help — this is time-sensitive.”
• Emotional manipulation: “We’ll lose the client if we delay.”

💬 Real Examples

• “Hi, it’s Sarah from IT. Can you reset your login here?”
• “This invoice is overdue. Pay by end of day or risk penalty.”
• “Quick question — can you confirm your phone number for payroll?”

All of these can be fake.

✅ How to Verify Safely

• Call the person using a known number — not one in the message
• Check sender details carefully (email address, domain, tone)
• Confirm sensitive requests with a manager
• Never rush. Urgency is a red flag, not a reason

🔐 Train Your Team to Be Skeptical

Use SMBCyberHub’s Social Engineering Quiz to test staff and build awareness.

“Trust but verify” isn’t enough. In cybersecurity, it’s “Verify first, then act.”

📋 Social Engineering Defense Checklist

• Don’t trust unknown calls or emails
• Verify money or login requests
• Don’t click links in suspicious messages
• Report anything that feels off

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🕒 Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
🔐 Aligned With: GDPR Article 39.1(b), ISO27001 Clause 7.2.2