Phishing remains the number one way cyber criminals breach organizations today, and with AI-enhanced tactics flooding employee inboxes and workflows, organizations can no longer afford to be passive.
For that reason, many are turning to employee phishing training initiatives to raise the level of security awareness among the workforce. But not every training program is effective. For lasting behavior changes, phishing training must be interactive, role-specific, and based on simulating actual attacks that employees might face in their day-to-day work.
Below are five real-world phishing scenarios that you should include in your training program right now, each based on actual attack techniques cybercriminals are using today.
1. The Fake Invoice That Looks Too Real (LLM-Generated Phishing)
An accounts payable team member receives a well-written email from what looks like a known vendor. It references a real project and even uses the recipient’s name, job title, and company branding. Everything looks familiar, because it is.
Cybercriminals today use open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools to scrape public data from LinkedIn, websites, and previous breaches. Then, with the help of large language models (LLMs), they generate highly realistic emails referencing specific employees, vendors, and ongoing projects.
In this case, the attacker says the vendor has updated their banking details and attaches a PDF invoice with a new account number. It is one of the oldest tricks in the book, but even more dangerous now thanks to context-aware AI models. There are no spelling errors or sketchy links – just a well-written message that looks like part of normal vendor communication.
This simulation teaches employees to verify sender domains and reinforce the habit of confirming any payment changes through a second, trusted channel – or even better, a well-established internal approval process they have to follow before moving forward with a transaction.
2. The Login Page That Steals Your MFA (MitM Phishing)
An IT admin receives a Slack message that appears to come from a colleague and points to a new admin login panel. The link directs to a perfect replica of the Microsoft 365 login page.
They log in and enter their MFA code, but nothing happens. The page either errors out or redirects to the real login page, making it seem like a harmless glitch. Meanwhile, an attacker has used a reverse proxy to intercept the session token, giving them full access to the admin account. With privileged access in hand, the entire organization is at risk.
Such attacks are actively being used in the wild, especially against cloud services that can grant attackers widespread access.
This simulation targets high-privileged users, helping them understand that MFA isn’t bulletproof. It also introduces them to a real risk associated with their session tokens that they might not have considered in the past.
3. The CEO Wants a Call, and It’s His Voice (AI Voice Cloning)
An employee in finance receives an urgent text message claiming the CEO wants to speak to them immediately about a confidential deal. When they do, the voice on the other end sounds exactly like the CEO and instructs them to initiate a $100,000 transfer with urgency and secrecy. It’s an unusual request, but also very convincing.
Global brands like Ferrari have recently been the targets of such attacks, and this method will likely remain prominent as AI voice cloning evolves. All criminals need is a few minutes of an executive speaking to provide a sample, and AI will create a near-perfect replica of their voice.
The simulation training can play a short, deepfaked voice message of the CEO to demonstrate how convincing voice phishing is getting with AI. Employees must learn to stop and think critically about such unusual requests.
4. The Pop-Up That Installs Malware (Fake Software Update)
An employee in the HR department visits a legitimate-looking job board to potentially list open positions there. A pop-up appears saying, “Install our recruiter plugin to receive instant updates on candidate applications and messages.” It looks compelling, so the employee installs it.
However, instead of an HR assistant, it’s a Remote Access Trojan (RAT), a type of malware that silently gives attackers full control over the device. The RAT allows them to monitor activity, steal credentials, and move laterally across the network.
A similar scenario can be created for all departments in the organization. You can use a fake browser pop-up as part of your simulation campaign to demonstrate how easily malware can be disguised as a helpful tool. Train non-technical users to verify all .exe downloads with IT or the security team before installing anything.
5. The QR Code in the Break Room (QR Code Phishing)
An unusual flyer promoting a charity appears in the office break room. On it, there is a QR code that links to a form for entries. An employee scans it with their phone, and the link opens what looks like the company’s internal HR portal, asking them to log in to confirm their entry and enter a donation.
The employee enters their credentials, not knowing that the page is fake and that their login details were immediately sent to a cybercriminal who now has access to internal systems.
QR code phishing, also known as quishing, is an emerging threat that plays on the trust and familiarity people have with QR codes in everyday life.
Use posters or digital screens with simulated QR codes as part of your phishing simulation campaign. Train employees to be cautious when scanning QR codes with company devices, even in trusted environments like the office.
Final Thoughts
Focusing on real threats and using simulation training is the best way to prepare your workforce for modern phishing tactics. The techniques attackers use evolve every day, so phishing training can no longer be a once-a-quarter checkbox exercise. The closer training mirrors reality, the better prepared your employees will be when the real thing hits.
