A holiday scam warning staff remember
Every year around now, someone at a client gets a text from the CEO. Buy six gift cards for client thank-yous, scratch off the codes, send photos, and keep it quiet because it's a surprise. It works because the season makes it plausible and nobody wants to disappoint the boss.
Most seasonal warnings read like a compliance memo and are deleted by lunch. The one that works tells a short story, shows what the message looks like, and gives staff permission to check without feeling foolish.
Gather first: the client's industry, how staff reach the owner, and any scams they have seen.
The prompt:
Write a seasonal scam warning for a client's staff, sent by the client's owner, that people read, remember and act on.
What experienced security trainers know:
The holiday scams that work are plausible ones: a gift card request from the CEO, a missed delivery notice, a supplier asking to change bank details before year end.
Warnings written like compliance memos get deleted by lunch. A short story, an example of the message and permission to check without feeling foolish is what sticks.
The email lands harder from the owner than from IT, because the owner is usually the person the scammer impersonates.
The client's industry and size: [details]
How staff normally reach the owner or finance: [phone, chat, in person]
Any scams the client has seen before: [details]
Do this:
Pick the three seasonal scams staff are most likely to see in the next six weeks, with a two-sentence example of each written the way the scammer would write it.
Draft a short staff email from the owner, with one rule: if money or codes are involved, call the person on a number you already have.
Add one line from the owner saying they would rather be called about a real request than lose money to a fake one.
Keep the email under 200 words, and do not include any example that names a real supplier the client uses.