Beyond email: QR codes, texts, calls and app requests

Skills you'll practise

• Check where a QR code leads before acting, and spot tampered codes.
• Recognize smishing and vishing and verify through a known channel.
• Treat fake voicemail and password-expiry messages with suspicion.
• Recognize a hijacked email thread and password-protected attachments as warning signs.
• Refuse app permission requests you don't expect and report them.

Course outline

1. 1.Beyond email: QR codes, texts, calls and app requestsVideo · 3 min
2. 2.QR codes and textsLesson · 8 min
3. 3.Calls, voicemails, hijacked threads and app requestsLesson · 8 min
4. 4.Chat, meeting and file-share luresLesson · 8 min
5. 5.Beyond email: QR codes, texts, calls and app requests: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 25 questions
6. 6.Final exam9 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out

Sources it draws on

The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.

• CISA: Avoiding social engineering and phishing attacks
• FBI public service announcement: cybercriminals tampering with QR codes
• NCSC (UK): Phishing: spot and report scam emails, texts, websites and calls