3 Everyday Habits That Dramatically Reduce Phishing Risk

Strengthen Your Defences with Maple's Phishing Testing and Staff Training

Simple habits help, but the most effective way to reduce phishing risk is to pair them with proactive testing and training designed for your business.

Maple helps finance teams strengthen their defenses by:

→ Simulating real-world phishing attacks safely, so your staff can practice spotting threats before they become breaches
→ Delivering targeted, role-specific training that reinforces safe email habits and boosts overall awareness
→ Highlighting vulnerabilities and implementing controls to prevent small mistakes from escalating into costly security incidents

With Maple, your team doesn’t just follow best practices, they develop measurable, proactive defenses that protect your firm and keep you compliant.

Contact us today to set up phishing testing and awareness training tailored to your business.

Phishing still remains one of the biggest threats to financial firms. Attackers know that one wrong click can open the door to sensitive data, client information, and financial systems.While advanced email filtering and security tools are important, human behavior still plays the biggest role in stopping phishing attacks.

The good news? Small, consistent habits across your team can make a major difference.

Phishing emails are designed to create a sense of urgency - payment requests, account alerts, or time-sensitive instructions. Training your team to pause before clicking gives them a moment to spot warning signs:

• Unusual sender domains

• Poor grammar or odd formatting

• Unexpected attachments or links

Even a two-second pause can prevent a serious breach.

When an email seems unusual, even if it appears to come from a senior colleague or trusted vendor, take a moment to verify the sender.
A quick call, message, or separate email to confirm authenticity can stop targeted impersonation or “business email compromise” attacks.
For finance teams handling payments or authorisations, this step should be non-negotiable.

Encourage everyone in the firm to report phishing attempts immediately. Forwarding suspicious emails to IT or using your Microsoft 365 “Report Phishing” button helps identify patterns and prevent wider exposure.
Even false alarms are valuable as they train your systems and your staff at the same time.