Friday Tips – Three Simple Ways To Reduce Phishing Risk

28 November 2025

Phishing attacks continue to be one of the most common ways attackers try to get into company systems. Finance teams are especially targeted because they work with payments, vendor data and sensitive financial information. The good news is that a few simple habits can make a big difference in keeping your team safe.

Here are three small actions that help cut your exposure to phishing attempts.

1. Take a moment before clicking links or opening attachments

Most phishing emails are designed to trigger quick reactions. They often use urgent language or mimic real business requests. A short pause is usually enough time to notice something that feels off. Look at the wording, the tone and the context. If anything seems unusual, trust that instinct and double check before taking action.

2. Verify details when a message feels suspicious

If a sender’s address looks strange or an email asks for something that doesn’t fit normal workflows, take a minute to confirm it. Reach out to the person through a known channel instead of replying directly. A quick call or message through a verified address can stop a fraudulent request from moving forward.

3. Report all phishing attempts right away

Even when someone spots a fake message, the job isn’t done. Reporting it to IT helps the whole company. Early reporting lets the security team block similar messages, warn others and remove risks before they spread. Make this part of your routine. It only takes a moment and it protects everyone.

Small, repeatable habits go a long way. Encouraging your finance team to slow down, confirm suspicious requests and report anything questionable builds a stronger security culture. These simple steps help reduce the risk of becoming the next target of a cyber attack.

If you want to strengthen awareness or build lightweight training around phishing, start with these basics. They’re easy to adopt and they pay off.