Why “Gotcha” Phishing Tests Let Us Down

One-off stunts and shame-based drills do more harm than good. Here is a kinder, smarter way to teach people to spot scams.

Scenario: “You get an urgent email from your boss asking for a wire transfer. Your heart races. You click before you think. That split-second choice is the story of modern phishing. It plays on emotion, not on poor passwords.”

A new whitepaper from CyberHoot titled “Why Traditional Phishing Tests Fail and How HootPhish Succeeds” looks at why old-school, “Gotcha” phishing tests do not produce lasting behavior improvements or change. It also lays out a practical alternative based on psychological best practices such as positive reinforcement, rewards, and powerful end user engagement techniques. 

Why “Gotcha” Tests Miss the Mark

Many common phishing programs aim to catch careless clickers. They send a fake scam, then announce the failure. That approach sounds reasonable on paper. In reality it backfires for several reasons.

First, fear does not teach. When workers are shamed, they learn to hide mistakes. They might stop reporting suspicious emails. They will not build real cybersecurity skills.

Second, tests are too rare and difficult to run. A single annual exercise is hard to setup, run, and schedule. Infrequent tests are easy for to forget. Skills that are not practiced fade quickly.

Third, the scenarios are sometimes unrealistic. If tests feel fake, people treat them lightly. They do not convert tests into real email habits.

Fourth, the metrics are incomplete. Most GOTCHA programs count only opened emails and clicks. They miss anyone who did not open the email providing no benefit to those folks.

The result is a false sense of security. Organizations may think they are safer. At best, behavior has not improved, at worst, people perform worse over time!

A Better Way: Practice, Positive Reinforcement, and Rubrics

CyberHoot’s whitepaper recommends a different approach. Treat phishing training like any other learned skill. Start with short, frequent practice and reward users via positive reinforcement of desired behaviors.

Practice must be mandatory and brief to secure attention without wasting time. People are more likely to complete a five-minute exercise than an hour-long course.

Reward correct behaviors. Instead of punishing clicks, give quick feedback and a chance to pass interactive exercises. Positive outcomes build confidence and willingness to learn more.

Teach a simple rubric. Give people a checklist they can use when evaluating a message. A few clear rules are easier to remember than a long list of red flags.

Recreate realistic examples. Simulations should mirror real emotional triggers, like urgency or authority. Use authentic typosquatted domains over unrealistic over-simplified examples!

Measure what matters. Track completion, learning improvements, engagement (avatar growth, levels achieved). Use these metrics to measure outcomes.

Psychology supports this approach. Practice builds habits. Positive reinforcement encourages internalization. A short course plus repeated practice leads to deeper learning, much like learning to drive or play an instrument.

What This Means for Local Businesses

All businesses can use these ideas during Cybersecurity Awareness Month. 

Here are five practical steps anyone can take:

• Replace all “gotcha” tests with monthly micro-simulations that require employee engagement.
  • Teach employees a simple, six-step rubric to use when they see a suspicious email.
  • Share manager-level reports so team leads can follow up with repeat problems.
  • Encourage healthy competition amongst staff members. Reward strong performers publicly.
  • Pair training with technical controls such as multi-factor authentication and effective email filtering.

Closing: What to Do Next

If you run a small business, ask your IT leader to try one practical change. Swap your “gotcha” tests for monthly of simulation practices. Make all follow-up positive and measurable. Then check manager reports and retest problem areas.

Learning to resist phishing is not about guilt. It is about practice, confidence, and habits. Teach people the steps. Let them win at learning. Then the next urgent email will be a moment to pause, not a moment to panic.

Craig Taylor is CEO and co-founder of CyberHoot, a local New Hampshire business bringing cyber literacy to the world.