Be on the Lookout for These Phishing and Social Engineering Tactics

Be on the Lookout for These Phishing and Social Engineering Tactics

As a business owner, you’re well aware of the risks that phishing and social engineering attacks pose to your operations. The challenge now is that these threats are constantly evolving and becoming more sophisticated than ever before.

What should really concern you is that cybercriminals are targeting your staff. One slip-up by an untrained employee can lead to serious financial loss and reputational damage. That’s why raising awareness should be your first line of defence.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through what to keep an eye out for. The better you understand these phishing and social engineering tactics, the better equipped you’ll be to protect your business.

Common Tricks Used by Cybercriminals

Gone are the days when dodgy grammar was a dead giveaway for a phishing scam. Thanks to AI and other advanced tools, hackers have seriously upped their game. Here are some of the more common tactics they’re using to reel in their victims:

• URL Spoofing – Imagine walking into your favourite ice cream shop, only to realise it just looks familiar – the logo and colours are the same, but it’s actually a fake. Hackers do the same thing online by overlaying a malicious link with the branding of a legitimate website. It looks trustworthy, but it’s designed to trick you into handing over sensitive information.
  
  

• Link Manipulation – This scam involves links that seem legit at first glance. You might click on one expecting to land on a familiar site, but instead, you’re redirected to a malicious one. It’s dangerous because just one click can launch malware or steal your data – and you might not even realise it’s happened.
  
  

• Link Shortening – We’ve all used link shorteners for convenience, but cybercriminals love them too – they’re a handy way to hide dodgy links. That’s why it’s important to preview any shortened link before clicking. Otherwise, you could be walking straight into a phishing trap.
  
  

• AI Voice Spoofing – This one’s particularly unsettling. Cybercriminals are now using AI to mimic voices – and they’re getting scarily good at it. They might impersonate a family member or colleague, asking for money or a password. These calls often feel urgent and real, which is exactly how they trick people into acting without thinking.
  
  

• Business Email Compromise (BEC) – Cybercriminals impersonate a company executive or supplier and send emails to employees requesting urgent payments or sensitive information. These emails often look legitimate and may even come from a compromised internal email account. For example, an accounts officer might receive an email from someone posing as the CFO, asking them to urgently transfer funds to a new supplier account.
  
  

• Fake Invoice Scams – Attackers send fake invoices that appear to be from real vendors or service providers. These often target finance departments and rely on routine payment processes to slip through unnoticed. A small business might receive an invoice for IT services from a familiar company – but the bank details have been changed.
  
  

• QR Code Phishing (Quishing) – Scammers embed malicious links in QR codes, which are increasingly used in marketing, menus, and payments. When scanned, the code redirects users to phishing sites or downloads malware. For instance, a QR code on a flyer for a local event might redirect users to a fake ticketing site that captures credit card details.
  
  

• Social Media Impersonation – Cybercriminals create fake profiles of executives or employees on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram to connect with staff or clients and extract sensitive information. A fake LinkedIn profile of a company director might send connection requests to employees, then ask for internal documents under the guise of a new project.
  
  

• SMS Phishing (Smishing) – Scammers send text messages pretending to be from banks, government agencies, or delivery services. These messages often contain links to fake login pages. For example, a message claiming to be from Australia Post might say your parcel is waiting and ask you to click a link to confirm your address – but the link leads to a phishing site.
  
  

• Pretexting – This involves creating a fabricated scenario to trick someone into giving up information or access. It often involves impersonating IT support, HR, or law enforcement. An employee might receive a call from someone claiming to be from the company’s IT department, saying there’s a security issue and asking for their login credentials to “fix” it.
  
  

• Stay One Step Ahead of the Hackers – Phishing and social engineering attacks rely on the fact that your employees are human – and humans make mistakes. That’s why it’s crucial to stay one step ahead. As a trusted IT service provider, we know your business needs to stay resilient as these threats continue to evolve.
  
  

Let’s start by building a stronger human firewall. Need help training your team? Get in touch with us today to create a security awareness program tailored to your business.

Conclusion: Awareness Is Your Best Defence

Cyber threats aren’t going away – they’re getting smarter, faster, and harder to detect. But with the right knowledge and training, your team can become your strongest asset in defending against them. By staying informed, encouraging vigilance, and investing in ongoing education, you can significantly reduce your risk and keep your business safe. Don’t wait until it’s too late – take proactive steps today to protect your people, your data, and your reputation.