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Phishing Emails

Covers the identification, analysis, and prevention of phishing emails targeting individuals and organizations. Topics include recognizing red flags in suspicious messages, reporting procedures, email filtering technologies, and training techniques that help employees avoid clicking malicious links or attachments.

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Phishing Emails

How Phishing Emails Work: The Psychology Behind the Click

In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received over 298,000 phishing complaints — making it the most reported cybercrime category for the fifth consecutive year. But here's what the raw numbers don't tell you: every single one of those incidents started with a

Carl B. Johnson May 06, 2026 5 min read
Phishing Emails

How Phishing Emails Work: The Psychology Behind the Click

In March 2025, a finance director at a mid-sized manufacturing company wired $2.3 million to a bank account in Southeast Asia. The request came from what looked like the CEO's email — same signature, same tone, same thread about an acquisition they'd been discussing for weeks.

Carl B. Johnson Sep 27, 2025 8 min read
Phishing Emails

How to Spot Phishing Emails: A Practical Guide

The Email That Cost One Company $37 Million In 2024, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that business email compromise — a sophisticated cousin of phishing — accounted for over $2.9 billion in adjusted losses in 2023 alone. That's not a typo. And those are just

Carl B. Johnson Sep 11, 2024 8 min read
Phishing Psychology

How Phishing Emails Work: The Psychology Behind the Click

A Single Click Cost One Company $100 Million In 2019, a Lithuanian national named Evaldas Rimasauskas pleaded guilty to stealing over $100 million from Google and Facebook using nothing but phishing emails. No zero-day exploits. No advanced malware. Just carefully crafted messages that exploited human psychology. If you want to

Carl B. Johnson May 03, 2024 8 min read
Phishing Emails

How Phishing Emails Work: The Psychology Behind the Click

A Single Email Cost This Company $121 Million In 2019, a Lithuanian man was sentenced to five years in prison for phishing Google and Facebook out of over $121 million. His method wasn't a zero-day exploit or cutting-edge malware. It was emails. Carefully crafted, psychologically precise emails that

Carl B. Johnson May 26, 2022 7 min read
Phishing Emails

How Phishing Emails Work: The Psychology Behind the Click

A Pipeline Went Dark — Because One Person Clicked On May 7, 2021, Colonial Pipeline — the largest fuel pipeline in the United States — shut down operations after a ransomware attack. The disruption caused fuel shortages across the southeastern U.S. and triggered panic buying. While the full forensic details are still

Carl B. Johnson May 13, 2021 7 min read
Phishing Emails

How to Spot Phishing Emails Before They Cost You

In March 2024, a finance director at a mid-size manufacturer in Ohio received an email from what appeared to be the company CEO. The message asked for an urgent wire transfer to close a confidential acquisition. The email looked flawless — correct logo, matching font, even a convincing signature block. She

Carl B. Johnson Feb 16, 2020 7 min read
Phishing Psychology

How Phishing Emails Work: The Psychology Behind the Click

Updated for 2026 A Single Email Cost This Company $121 Million In 2019, Rubin Schron's Cammeby's International Group wired $121 million to a fraudulent account after receiving what appeared to be a routine email from their attorney. The email was a phish. No malware. No zero-day

Carl B. Johnson Feb 02, 2019 7 min read