Phishing Is Bigger Than Email

25 minutes

Welcome to Module 3: Phishing Is Bigger Than Email

When people hear “phishing,” they think email. But attackers have long since expanded beyond your inbox. Today, phishing attacks arrive through text messages, phone calls, workplace chat platforms, social media, QR codes, and even calendar invites.

The techniques you’ve learned so far — reading links, analyzing email headers — are essential. But they only cover one channel. Attackers know this, and they’re betting you’ll let your guard down everywhere else.

What You’ll Learn

  1. Text and phone scams — How smishing and vishing work, and why AI voice cloning changes everything
  2. Workplace chat attacks — Why Slack and Teams are becoming prime targets for phishing
  3. Social media traps — How attackers exploit LinkedIn, Facebook, and other platforms
  4. QR code and calendar tricks — Emerging attack vectors most people don’t think about

Why This Matters

Attackers go where you aren't expecting them. If you've trained yourself to scrutinize emails but blindly trust text messages, Slack DMs, or QR codes, you've left the back door wide open.

The same psychological tactics — urgency, authority, fear — work on every platform. The difference is that most people have zero defenses outside of email. After this module, you won’t be one of them.

Time Investment

This module takes about 25 minutes to complete:

  • Lesson 3.1: Text and Phone Scams (8 min)
  • Lesson 3.2: Workplace Chat and Social Media (8 min)
  • Lesson 3.3: QR Codes and Calendar Invites (7 min)
  • Module 3 Quiz (5 min)