Social Engineering Red Flags: Helping Employees Identify Fake "Boss" Requests

As HR professionals, educating your workforce about social engineering threats is increasingly important. One of the most effective cyber attacks targets employees by impersonating leadership figures. These scams exploit workplace hierarchies and can lead to data breaches or financial losses that impact your organization’s security and reputation.

When training employees, emphasize these key warning signs that indicate a message supposedly from management might actually be from an impostor:

The request contains unusual urgency, especially regarding financial transactions or sensitive information. Train employees to recognize that statements like “I need these W-2 forms within the hour” or “Process this wire transfer immediately” deserve verification, regardless of the apparent sender.

The communication deviates from established patterns. Encourage staff to question whether this is how their supervisor typically communicates. Would the CFO normally email a junior accountant directly about a wire transfer? Would the CEO use text messages for confidential matters? Any departure from normal communication channels merits caution.

The message asks recipients to bypass standard procedures. Instruct employees that requests to handle matters “confidentially” without involving appropriate departments or to circumvent established protocols are significant red flags, even when they appear to come from leadership.

The sender’s email address contains subtle discrepancies. Train your team to carefully examine email addresses, not just display names. Threat actors often use domains that appear legitimate (ceo@company-inc.com instead of ceo@company.com) or free email services that executives wouldn’t use for business.

For security training programs, develop a clear verification protocol: employees should confirm unusual requests through a different communication channel than the one where the request originated. If they receive a suspicious email, they should call the purported sender using the company directory number—not contact information provided in the message itself.

Consider implementing a code word system for urgent executive requests or establishing clear policies that certain transactions always require multi-person authorization, regardless of who makes the request.

By equipping employees with these recognition skills and clear verification procedures, you’ll create a human firewall that complements your technical security measures—protecting both your people and your organization from increasingly sophisticated social engineering attempts.