Do You Know What Your Team Would Do If They Got a Suspicious Email?

Quick question: If one of your employees received a suspicious email right now, what would they do?

Would they: - Delete it and move on? - Forward it to someone? (Who?) - Click the link to see what it is? - Google the company name to verify? - Call you directly? - Ignore it and hope for the best?

If you're not 100% sure of the answer, you're not alone. Most business owners aren't.

And that uncertainty? That's a vulnerability.

Why This Question Matters

Suspicious emails arrive every day. Some are obvious spam—Nigerian princes, lottery winnings, pills from Canada. Your spam filter catches most of those.

But the dangerous ones? Those slip through. They look like messages from your bank, your vendor, your boss, the IRS. They use your company name, reference real transactions, create believable scenarios.

When one of these lands in your employee's inbox, what happens next depends entirely on whether they've been prepared for it.

If they haven't been trained: - They might click out of curiosity - They might enter credentials to "verify their account" - They might download an attachment that installs malware - They might forward sensitive information - They might do nothing—letting a real threat sit in their inbox

If they have been trained: - They'll recognize the warning signs - They'll know how to verify legitimacy - They'll report it to the right person - They'll protect your business

Same email. Different outcomes. The only variable is preparation.

The Real Problem: Assumptions

Here's what I see with most small businesses: everyone assumes someone else has it handled.

The owner assumes employees know this stuff already. "It's common sense, right?"

Employees assume if something were really dangerous, someone would have told them about it.

IT (if there is IT) assumes people know not to click suspicious links.

Everyone assumes. Nobody actually checks. And the gap between those assumptions and reality is where hackers operate.

What Your Team Needs to Know

You don't need to turn your employees into cybersecurity experts. But they do need to know:

1. What suspicious actually looks like

"Don't click suspicious links" is useless advice if no one has explained what makes a link suspicious. Your team needs specific examples of what to watch for—mismatched URLs, urgency language, requests for credentials, unexpected attachments.

2. Who to tell and when

There should be a clear answer to "If I see something weird, who do I contact?" And it shouldn't be "figure it out." It should be a name, an email address, a Slack channel—something specific.

3. That it's okay to be wrong

The biggest barrier to reporting suspicious emails? Employees worry they'll look paranoid or stupid if it turns out to be nothing. They need to know that reporting false alarms is not only okay—it's encouraged.

4. That asking questions is always right

If an email asks for money, credentials, or sensitive information, the answer is always "verify first." Your team should know that taking an extra five minutes to confirm legitimacy is never wrong.

A Simple Exercise

Want to find out how prepared your team is? Try this:

Send a company-wide email with a simple question: "What would you do if you received an email that looked suspicious?"

Don't tell them it's a test. Just ask the question and see what comes back.

You'll learn two things: 1. Whether people have a clear process (or are just guessing) 2. Whether there's consistency across your team

If you get ten different answers from ten employees, that's a sign you need clearer guidelines and training.

Building a Culture of Caution

The best security isn't software or firewalls—it's culture. It's creating an environment where:

• People feel comfortable reporting suspicious activity
• Verification is the default, not the exception
• Security is everyone's responsibility, not just IT's
• Mistakes are learning opportunities, not career-enders

This doesn't happen by accident. It happens through clear communication, consistent training, and leadership that models the behavior you want to see.

One More Question

If you got an email from your CFO asking you to wire $50,000 to a new vendor, what would you do?

Would you: - Wire the money immediately (it's the CFO, after all) - Reply to the email to confirm - Call the CFO directly to verify - Check with accounting first

The answer should be "call to verify"—but many people would just wire the money. That exact scenario has cost businesses millions.

Your team should know the right answer without having to think about it.

Create clarity for your team

PrymoSec gives your employees the training they need to handle security threats confidently. Our modules cover real scenarios they'll actually encounter, with clear guidance on what to do.

No more assumptions. No more uncertainty. Just a team that knows how to protect your business.

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