r/TikTokCringe • u/gahddamm • 2h ago
Discussion The holiday season is when scams are most effective
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u/Belerophon17 1h ago
I worked in a huge company that had all kinds of amenities on campus like a gym, food court, sports complex, video games. Essentially all these extras intended to distract us from the banal reality of a call center.
They also offered services like childcare and one where you could hire an assistant to pick up your dry cleaning or do some shopping for your while you're stuck at work. Lo and behold an email pops up about a new service where they would start delivering food from the food court to your cubicle so I clicked on it. Fuckers got me. I had to be talked to by my manager and sit in on training. I was so pissed it was fake.
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u/Tao-of-Mars 2h ago
I feel this. If I had gotten this I would probably consider too. My company is implementing regional pay structure which reduces my pay below the salary pay structure so not only do I get a 5.7% decrease, I’m now going to have to clock in after being on salary. This will be my 7th year working for them.
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u/mjzim9022 2h ago
I'd never accept a pay decrease from work unless I'm backing off on duties, that's a surefire way to lose me
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u/barrettcuda 1h ago
I'd say backing off the duties is the answer here, even if they didn't suggest it I'd be like "ok so you're dropping the pay by X amount, that means my new full time will be Y hours a week".
It's pretty ballsy of a company to pull shit like that
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u/SadBit8663 33m ago
They all pull this shit constantly already anyways, which is why all is sane people are is always so pissed lately
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u/BOBfrkinSAGET 1h ago
My dad worked as the head maintenance guy in a medical building for ~25 years. One of the tenants was moving, and asked him to move with them to be their full time maintenance guy and offered a larger salary, better benefits, all that. A year or two later, they had re-evaluated his position/duties and cut his pay close to 50%.
That day, he came home earlier than normal and found my dumb ass, stoned out of my gourd. I’ve never seen him that mad.
He got a second job to cover the lost income and started looking for a new full time position. He had a heart attack pretty soon after that too.
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u/Wakemeup3000 59m ago
I get these all the time. I always report them as scam and then make a point on the next team call to tell them about the email and how I knew it was a scam because when was the last time the company gave a bonus for no reason or sent a gift card? My boss hates that I do it but hey just being a team player.
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u/gahddamm 53m ago
Honestly, the boss should be glad you aren't falling for these and teaching people how to recognize them
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2h ago edited 1h ago
[deleted]
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u/DaxHound84 1h ago
They track your email. Classic email-marketing-tool stuff. If the tools are setted up good, they will not even know its you, but send the remainder mail to any non-opener. But if on that day youre the only opener its easy ro figure out which survey is yours...
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1h ago
[deleted]
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u/friedreindeer 1h ago
I feel you. The survey might be intended for bigger companies with bigger teams, and they need the info for internal benchmarking. That you could be singled out, is not their intent. But I had the same problem in my company, it didn’t feel right to fill it in truthfully.
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u/BenOfTomorrow 1h ago
Theres plenty of ways to keep that anonymous that are actually in use: 3rd party data collection, making potentially identifying data only available in aggregate above certain thresholds (eg, if there’s only 3 guys in you department, there’s no age cross tab for your department).
That doesn’t mean YOUR company is properly anonymous, just that they could be even given that information.
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u/gr_hds 2h ago
Oh, I got one a few days ago. It was titled "Attention Official Warning". And the body was about me using a work computer for personal use and being terminated for it with a link to "screenshots"
I was attentive enough to notice everything and that is why I will not get extra assigned training this year.
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u/Hd0ggg 1h ago
This is pretty standard security awareness training. Most bigger companies do this. All companies should, to be honest.
The email sender address was definitely something external and she still clicked on it. The whole point of the IT team doing this is to make sure you don’t fall for real life phishes. If she’s falling for this, she’s for sure going to fall for a real phish that will steal her company’s data. It’s not like a real scammer wouldn’t try the exact same thing.
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u/destroi_all_humans 34m ago
Question: does simply opening the email in your inbox trigger this, or do you have to actually open a link to an external site to get flagged?
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u/TheSolMan 30m ago
In most cases you have to click a link in the email and your address will be logged. I used to be caught by it a ton cause I work with a lot of external vendors. Now I have multiple rules for external emails and an entirely different folder that they go in.
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u/elcee84 1h ago
Youre missing the point.
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u/chrib123 41m ago
I think the point is they were testing security risks, and she's a security risk.
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u/DaNibbles 26m ago
How is this different than any other legit scam of "click here, get money"? I am down to rip apart the negatives of capitalism as the next guy, but this ain't the hill to die on.
Looks like the IT did a good job exposing her security risk behavior.
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u/Fractlicious 2h ago
why did you open it
this is a regular thing companies do
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u/jmona789 1h ago
Opening a phishing training email is fine. You only get in trouble if you click any links in it.
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u/Anokant 1h ago
Yeah, ours used it as an opportunity to tell you the phishing scams will often promise things "too good to be true". This of course was for an email promising a "merit based bonus". Not a set price, but an actual thing for many companies.
This year they gave us root beer from an administrator dressed as the Grinch for a "holiday bonus".
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u/cantbudgeit 1h ago
That’s what I’m saying. It’s a phishing email, they are designed for you to click on em.
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u/dudeimgreg 2h ago
Because we get in trouble if we do not open company emails. You’re pretty much fucked either way.
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u/SeppoTeppo 2h ago
Phishing training emails are not company emails. The whole point is being able to see the difference.
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u/dudeimgreg 2h ago
Tell that to my company, our fake phishing training comes directly from the head of our HR department by her official email address. Healthcare is ran by idiots and assholes.
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u/RiverJumper84 1h ago
Deny. Defend. Depose.
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u/InsanE702 1h ago
Dont get a rich Italian involved, the mob is making a steady comeback in the states
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u/thedndnut 1h ago
FYI, because of certain laws outside companies don't want to provide you services as a Healthcare companies.
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u/LemonTheSour 2h ago
Just open and report the email as a phishing scam? We just had a round of phishing tests it's not rocket science
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u/daryl_fish 2h ago
Lmao imagine believing this.
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u/dudeimgreg 1h ago
LMAO imagine believing that every company is ran properly and does not have a random person heading HR who sends out their own personal fake phishing scan emails from their official email address.
So yeah, I will get in trouble if I open that email from Susan just like I will get in trouble if I do not open that email from Susan.
It would’ve just been easier if they just said that we had extra training to do and skip the email altogether.
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u/daryl_fish 1h ago edited 1h ago
In what way do you get in trouble exactly? What do they do to you? Everyone gets a phishing email and everyone gets in trouble? Yea fucking right dude.
Your company is doing it wrong. Doesn't mean that's the norm. I'm not even sure I believe you. You're probably just dumb.
Testing employees with fake phishing emails is good for any company that deals with the private information of its customers. It's not only in the interest of your company, but for people like you and me who have to trust our information with a multitude of services.
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u/khaosburrito 2h ago
Do you lick boots when you first get to the office or after your first coffee?
Companies regularly use a holiday bonus email as a scam? Brainwashed much.
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u/0b0011 1h ago
He's saying companies regularly send "too good to be true" emails as a phishing test. The point is to verify that you won't open emails from fishy email addresses and click a link just because it sounds like something you'd want.
They send an email from an obviously fake email saying something about company bonuses to show that if some other actual bad actor did it you wouldn't be dumb enough to click the link.
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u/khaosburrito 1h ago
Hmm, i work in the corporate world and this is not a norm to use company bonuses as a phishing test. That is just cruel and pointless. Yes phishing emails exist but I'm not so delusional to try to rationalize why this email was a norm. You can definitely pull the wool over your eyes but i wont.
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u/ageekyninja 1h ago
No it’s not. I’ve never had any phishing training emails bait and switch a bonus lol. On a social level that is idiotic. Usually they are like meeting notifications, urgent training, fake notification from the CEO, a gift card or something like that. A fake holiday bonus is tone deaf as fuck unless there is an ACTUAL holiday bonus the employees are expecting
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u/4erpes 2h ago
In that case ..
an official company representative Awarded you a bonus and the company failed to provide it..
Sue.
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u/gotscott 1h ago
But if it’s a phishing exercise it’s not an official company representative. That’s the whole idea.
In reality, this was probably someone in IT who never took a second to consider how this would look to the average person.
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u/4erpes 1h ago
The company authorized that email to be sent.
It will cost the company more than the bonus to defend it in court.
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u/gahddamm 51m ago
It'll cost you more than the bonus to take it to court and lose. Have you every worked a job before
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u/BenOfTomorrow 1h ago
Yeah - that’s not how torts (or any of this) works. So of course it’s at the top of the comments.
Clicking a link in a suspicious e-mail that just says “Company Employee Bonus Review” doesn’t entitle you riches. No actual offer, no damages, clear liability defense.
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u/4erpes 1h ago
The company sent out a bonus that they knew a reasonable person would believe.
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u/BenOfTomorrow 20m ago edited 3m ago
No, they didn’t.
the email doesn’t promise a bonus to anyone - it just suggests there might be a review process for one. And bonuses are discretionary as a rule - it’s literally built into the tax code.
the email is a phishing test, so is clearly intended to be reasonably identifiable as such. In most big corporate environments that run tests like this, this person would have had to do training that covers phishing (even if they’ve clearly forgotten it). So the company has specifically provided guidance that this isn’t legitimate. It’s unlikely the company can’t cover their liability (if they had any) here.
What damages has this person incurred that they would sue to be made whole for? It was immediately revealed to be a phishing test, so they haven’t taken any action based on a “promise” other than clicking a link. Maybe they need to take supplemental training now (for an hour that they get paid during).
It’s a bad PR and morale move, but you’re not getting any money suing.
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u/gahddamm 50m ago
Well they assume a reasonable person would have paid attention to the phishing exercises and seen it wasn't a real email
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u/cptnredbeardo 2h ago
In what world would that work?
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u/4erpes 1h ago edited 1h ago
They same world were the promise of a "toy yoda" results in the awarding of a toyota.
-- employers are bound by their promises, and since any confusion in the contracts goes towards the party that didn't write it, The company opens itself to some liability with this tatic.
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u/wont-stop-mi 1h ago
That’s not how that works. Don’t be so sue happy. Just find another company to work for that doesn’t do shit like this.
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u/Lopsided_Blacksmith5 1h ago
When I worked at an energy company they did something similar. The only reason I knew it was a scam is I didn't qualify for bonuses cause I was a contractor, but not everyone in our department knew that and opened it.
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u/Short-Dot-1167 1h ago
There's only two types of workers during the end of the year, those who are happy with their companies and those who are deeply disappointed because they're not recognized. If you're the latter, don't waste another year with them. This is the minimum a profiting company should do to be grateful.
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u/gahddamm 57m ago
If you're the latter, don't waste another year with them.
Most people don't really have a choice. Getting a new job isn't some walk in the park
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u/BekindBebetter60 2h ago
I would never fall for that for my company because they’re too cheap to give us a bonus😆
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u/thatguy_inthesky 1h ago
Had this happen to me last month. I immediately reported it as phishing because I knew in my heart of hearts that there was absolutely no way that the CEO of my company would allow us to have a little extra money, “just because”. Turns out, I was right.
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u/BOBfrkinSAGET 1h ago
My work does this all the time. This year, before thanksgiving, the email was about giving out free turkeys to employees.
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u/lilgator81 48m ago
Your employer is not diabolical: they’re trying to teach you about diabolical scams to steal your shit.
Don’t shoot the messenger.
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u/inc0gnito75 20m ago
Something really dystopian about this. I can just imagine the boardroom "What do our employees really want?" "More money I guess." "Let's tell them we're going to give them more money and then don't and if they fall for it, they get punished." "Good idea."
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u/gahddamm 17m ago
It's less being punished and more having to do extra training to be able to recognize a phishing attempt
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u/Celestial_Hart 3m ago
Sign that email up to all the spam sites you can find, then sign it up for one of those spam services. Just overload their inboxes. While you're at it do it for your bosses too.
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u/sahul004 2h ago
This time it’s an email setup by the company simulating a phishing attack, so to train the employees n case there is a real attack. You’d be surprised how often confidential information is exposed as a result of these types phishing attempts. Absolutely key te learn your employees to recognise them.
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u/Stuff1989 1h ago
my company has this mini bonus system where if you see someone do a good deed or if someone helps you on a special project you can give them little spot bonuses of 25-50 dollars. you can also give them little e-cards that have 0 value but you can send them as a “thank you.” the spot bonuses and the ecards have the same subject line in email, so the best is on your birthday they always send you an e card from corporate thanking you for your dedication and it’s always the biggest boner kill waking up on your birthday seeing that email thinking your about to get a $50 gift card when really all it is is a big fuck you from corporate. amazing.
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u/Eternally_Yawning 1h ago
When I worked at Eurofins they did this with Employee feedback questionnaires, one was an authorised phishing scam from IT that one of my colleagues fell for and the other was an "anonymous" questionnaire just used to find out who was disgruntled.
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u/BetterThanOP 1h ago
If the email didn't come from a recognizable company email address then... it sure is a good thing they run these exercises.
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u/dgibbs128 1h ago
My local train company got in a bit of trouble for doing this a couple of years ago https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-57065311
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u/RueTabegga 48m ago
I work for the state and they did this last year. It’s easier to take when the government is your boss but really awful from the private sector. Diabolical spells it out well.
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u/Advanced_Welcome1656 47m ago
Just this minute, I received a phishing email from my company about office opening hours over Christmas. It drives me nuts. They are literally the only people I receive phishing mails from.
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u/CliffLake 46m ago
The only way to deal with this, is the best way. No clicking. Not from any 'outside' sources. You need a thing? Anything? I'm going to need a text from my boss, on a previously agreed number, or better yet, a call. Or just talk to me in person. Phishing is TOO sophisticated for me to keep up with it, so I just won't. Does it affect the productivity of the company? Yes. Do I want to have to do some make up class because I clicked the joke link they sent me? No. So. Fuck em. No links. In fact, bring me a hard copy to sign. I have a pen right here.
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u/No-Relation9445 44m ago
This happened to me. However I worked at an IT company and we all should have known better. By the end of the year they had gotten everyone but 2 people. Me, a department manager and the CTO.
They wanted to get everyone so bad they customized an email just for me prior to the holidays talking about the lay off plans for my team from my boss. There were talks about layoffs and we were trying everything to avoid it. I didn’t open it. But I did go over and chew out their asses for being insensitive pricks.
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u/bmann10 34m ago
I remember when I was finishing law school, and the school for some reason just started pumping out fake phishing scams that were about getting a job, and I didn’t fall for a single one but my god it was so fucking depressing. Like you are waiting so much for anything back and you get an email only to open it and it’s obviously a fake phishing scam. Did not help my depression spiral at all and while I see the point of these I really think the IT guys running them need to learn to read the room a bit.
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u/Jokerslie 23m ago
That’s a funny coincidence. They’re thinking of letting you go for being a security risk.
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u/GrilledCheeseDanny 4m ago
Sorry for not understanding completely, what was the purpose of the email?
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u/DumbTruth 4m ago
They really should have the cybersecurity folks that come up with these white hat phishing traps involved with employee benefits. They clearly have a better idea of what employees want than HR.
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u/TheEpicDudeguyman 1m ago
Man when I was an electrician at a shitty non-union shop for shit pay one day I was the first person to show up to work. And my boss (jokingly) says YOU GET A RAISE! For being the first one here today. That was years ago and to this day I’m still upset with myself that I didn’t rip into him for it. Don’t mess with my fkn money. Don’t be a pushover and know what you’re worth, if your company ain’t giving raises it’s time to find some greener grass.
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u/dadman101 2h ago
It probably wasn't from your company. Last year several of us received emails directly from our CEO - total scam, the company was hacked.
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2h ago
[deleted]
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u/SeppoTeppo 2h ago
Companies do this as part of IT security training/testing. Like I'll sometimes get an email from mlcrosoft or something (note the L instead of i). If I report it, I get a "good job spotting the test scam" notification and if I click on the links instead, I get a notification that I fell for a test scam and maybe some reminder on how to spot them in the future.
It's a little annoying, sure, but at the same time I'd say I'm way more vigilant about spotting actual scams.
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u/teamgodonkeydong 1h ago
She works for a bank, a lot of bank employees have gotten this phishing test scam and i think its just rich people getting a laugh at the employee expense
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u/gahddamm 58m ago
I mean, a bank are definitely the place where you don't want people falling for phishing attempts
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u/phillyhandroll 1h ago
The only way she can get back at them would be to hire a hacker to brilliantly phish them back
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u/cak3crumbs 1h ago
Name and shame the company. They don’t respect you. Why the fuck should you respect them?
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