A U.S. Army combat commander seeking to test employee awareness of phishing emails failed badly when he sent one out on his own and caused mass confusion – but no staffers actually fell for the fake scam, making it something of a success.
The email's subject line read, “Thrift Savings Plan Alert: Passcode Reset,” according to a Washington Post report, which explains how things quickly went awry when confused employees panicked, began circulating the email through various departments, and flooded the Thrift Savings Plan call center with concerns.
The email was meant for a small group, but ended up getting circulated to thousands of federal employees.
An investigation was ongoing for about three weeks before the source of the email was traced back to the Army, according to the report.
