Monday 19 October 2026 · 4-minute read
Hello! This week is all about trust: who gets it automatically, and how a two-minute check can save a very bad day. There's a fake boss's voice, a lovely bit of psychology, some new "colleagues" who aren't people, and proof that scams can happen to anyone.
1. The voice on the phone might not be the boss
A survey of 500 office workers in Singapore, released last week at a big security conference in Asia, asked an awkward question: if your chief executive asked you to do something, would you check first? Computers can now copy a real person's voice convincingly from a short recording, and about 1 in 3 wasn't confident they could tell a real message from a fake. The bigger problem was politeness. Half said they would feel uncomfortable questioning a request from someone senior, and about 9 people in 100 said they would rather risk a security incident than keep the boss waiting. Here's the twist: senior managers were the most confident they could spot a fake, and also the most likely to act on one before checking.
Try this activity: At your next team catch-up, ask: "If a message that seemed to come from a director asked you to pay an invoice urgently today, what would you do?" Then agree one team rule together: unusual requests always get checked through a route you already know and trust, like phoning the person back on their usual number, and nobody ever gets in trouble for checking.
Learn more: Over a third of Singapore workers unsure they can spot CEO deepfakes (Malay Mail)
2. Our brains believe first and question later
The American Psychological Association, the professional body for psychologists in the United States, devoted a long article this month to why people keep falling for scams. The short answer: our minds are built to assume that what we hear and read is true, because life would grind to a halt if we questioned everything. Scammers simply borrow that setting, then add time pressure and strong feelings so we decide before we think. There's no "type" of person who gets caught either; being tired, rushed, lonely or stressed matters far more than being clever. And a favourite finding: in one study, people judged statements too trustingly when they had to answer only "true" or "false", but when they were allowed to say "I'm not sure", the over-believing disappeared. Also worth knowing: AI now writes scams beautifully, so bad spelling is no longer a reliable warning sign.
Talking point: Share this line with your team this week: "You're always allowed to say 'I'm not sure, let me check'. Scams are built for instant decisions, and that one sentence breaks them."
Learn more: Why we keep falling for fraud (APA Monitor on Psychology)
3. New teammates that aren't people
Lots of workplaces now use AI helpers: computer programs that don't just answer questions but actually do things, like updating systems and sending files. A survey of 600 security chiefs at large companies around the world found nearly all had seen an AI tool acting on its own play some part in at least one security mishap over the past year. Just as striking, about 2 in 3 said they can't fully see which AI tools their staff are using, often because people quietly try new tools without telling anyone. Nobody does that to be naughty; they're just trying to get work done.
Evidence you can use: "About 2 out of 3 security chiefs say they can't see which AI tools their staff are using." If you've wanted a friendly way to start a conversation about AI at work, that's your opener. Ask teammates which AI tools they find useful and encourage them to let your IT or security team know. It's about sharing, not telling off, and your programme lead will thank you for the list.
Learn more: Most companies count AI agents as insiders (Help Net Security)
4. Scams happen everywhere, and help is on the way
Economists who monitor the financial health of East and South-East Asia published a study of scams across the region. They found that about 55 adults in every 100 faced at least one scam attempt in the past year or so, and that victims who lost money rarely got it back; in South-East Asia, only about 1 in 5 recovered anything at all. The encouraging part: governments are acting. Several countries now make banks and phone companies share the job of stopping scams instead of leaving it all to customers, and Thailand has shut down millions of bank accounts that criminals were using to move stolen money. Scam losses there are already falling.
Evidence you can use: "More than half of adults across East and South-East Asia were targeted by a scam in the past year." If anyone on your team still believes scams only happen to careless people, this is the number to share: being targeted is normal, which is exactly why checking first should be normal too.
Learn more: Managing Digital Scam Risks in ASEAN+3 (AMRO)
Before you go
If you do just one thing this week, make it the team rule from story one. Every "let me check first" quietly spreads to the person next to the person you told, and the rings keep travelling long after you've stopped watching. Thanks for everything you do.