Read the approach
Identify the use of authority, urgency, familiarity and reciprocity. Trace which public details make an approach sound informed.
People, access & verification
Social engineering: the convincing approach
Recognise the pressure. Verify the request.
An urgent request. A familiar name. A plausible reason to make an exception. Practise spotting the point where ordinary cooperation becomes exploitable.
1 day · £595 per personIncludes applicable VAT · Private teams from £3,500 + VAT where applicable
Inside the exercise
Role-play workshop
Role-players make apparently credible requests by phone, message and conversation. Participants must work out what is being requested, what gives it credibility and how to verify it without simply refusing to help.
Work through a fictional scenario with a facilitator, compare decisions and examine their consequences in the debrief.
Practise the interruption
Rehearse independent callbacks, identity checks and a calm refusal to bypass an approval. Compare approaches that preserve a legitimate working relationship.
Investigate the near miss
Compare the messages and accounts after a simulated attempt. Ask whether information came from public sources, compromised access or an insider, and what would distinguish them.
Improve the process
Find the everyday pressures that make exceptions tempting. Develop verification and escalation habits that people can use when they are busy.
The Cato & Veil approach
Connect the whole problem.
We examine the relationship, the request and the workflow together. The exercise connects human judgement with technical access and organisational incentives.
Who it is for
Finance, executive support, HR, customer-facing staff, security teams and anyone entrusted with sensitive information or access.
What you take away
A set of practised verification responses, a record of warning signs and specific improvements to an approval or escalation process.
New programme / Register interest
Choose how to take part.
An individual place
Join a public cohort when dates are announced. Register your interest and tell us what you want to develop.
£595 per person1 day · Includes applicable VAT
Includes facilitated exercises, course materials and the debrief. Dates to be announced.
Register interest in a place ↗A private team exercise
Discuss a session built around your organisation, the roles in the room and the decisions you want to rehearse.
From £3,500 per team1 day · Up to 12 participants · Plus VAT where applicable
Arrange private team training ↗Individual fees are in GBP and include any applicable VAT. Travel and accommodation are not included unless expressly stated in your booking. Private team prices are in GBP and exclude VAT where applicable. Starting fees cover a one-day programme at your UK premises for the stated group size, a preparation call, adaptation of the course scenario, facilitation and an exercise debrief. Venue hire, travel, accommodation and additional specialist work are quoted separately before booking. An enquiry does not commit you to a booking. Dates, scope and the final total are agreed before you decide.