Six signals, including the "urgent request from the CEO" that targets new joiners.
In his second week, Rahul received this email:
From: Daniel Chen, CEO
Subject: Quick favour — are you at your desk?
Rahul, I am heading into a client meeting and need something handled discreetly. Can you buy five $100 gift cards and send me the codes within the hour? I will reimburse you afterwards. Please keep this between us for now — it relates to a surprise for the team.
Sent from my iPhone
The CEO knew his name. Second week. A chance to impress. Rahul had his coat on before something made him pause.
That email is the single most common scam aimed at new employees, and by the end of this lesson you will see it coming from the first line.
Why new joiners are the target
Attackers deliberately hunt new employees. People announce new jobs publicly on LinkedIn, which hands attackers three useful facts: who you are, where you work, and that you do not yet know how the CEO actually writes, what a normal request looks like, or who to ask when unsure. Eagerness to impress does the rest.
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