The News GodThe News GodThe News God
  • Politics
    • Trump
  • News
    • Wars & Conflicts
  • Business & Finance
  • Lifestyle & Health
  • Law
  • Sports
  • Tech & Autos
  • Home & Garden
  • Videos
  • More
    • Travel & Tour
    • Education
    • Entertainment
      • Biography
      • Net Worth
      • Famous Birthdays
    • General
    • Pets
    • Blog
    • About Us
    • Disclaimer
    • Media Partners
    • Why You Need to Read Business News Everyday
    • Authors
    • Terms of Service & Privacy Policy
Reading: GoDaddy Employees Were Told They Were Getting a Holiday Bonus. It Was Actually a Phishing Test.
Share
Font ResizerAa
The News GodThe News God
Font ResizerAa
  • Politics
  • News
  • Business & Finance
  • Lifestyle & Health
  • Law
  • Sports
  • Tech & Autos
  • Home & Garden
  • Videos
  • More
Search
  • Politics
    • Trump
  • News
    • Wars & Conflicts
  • Business & Finance
  • Lifestyle & Health
  • Law
  • Sports
  • Tech & Autos
  • Home & Garden
  • Videos
  • More
    • Travel & Tour
    • Education
    • Entertainment
    • General
    • Pets
    • Blog
    • About Us
    • Disclaimer
    • Media Partners
    • Why You Need to Read Business News Everyday
    • Authors
    • Terms of Service & Privacy Policy
Follow US
  • About Us
  • Authors
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • My Bookmarks
  • Terms of Use & Privacy Policy
  • Media Partners
The News God > Blog > News > GoDaddy Employees Were Told They Were Getting a Holiday Bonus. It Was Actually a Phishing Test.
News

GoDaddy Employees Were Told They Were Getting a Holiday Bonus. It Was Actually a Phishing Test.

Sampson Gaddah
Last updated: December 25, 2020 10:29 am
Sampson Gaddah
December 25, 2020
Share
4 Min Read
GoDaddy Employees Were Told They Were Getting a Holiday Bonus. It Was Actually a Phishing Test.
SHARE

Roughly 500 employees failed the test, which claimed they would receive a $650 bonus.

“2020 has been a record year for GoDaddy, thanks to you!” the email read.

Sent by [email protected], tucked underneath a glittering banner of a snowflake and stamped with the words “GoDaddy Holiday Party,” the Dec. 14 email to hundreds of GoDaddy employees promised some welcome financial relief during an otherwise stressful year.

“Though we cannot celebrate together during our annual Holiday Party, we want to show our appreciation and share a $650 one-time Holiday bonus!” the email read. “To ensure that you receive your one-time bonus in time for the Holidays, please select your location and fill in the details by Friday, December 18th.”

But, two days later, the company sent another email.

Related Posts

Faith sustains the Uvalde community as it faces tragedy: “The light will never go out”
Anaesthetists suspend nationwide strike
What Are The Best Ways To Consume News Online?
Fire in Colorado Road-Rage Gunshot Injures 8

“You’re getting this email because you failed our recent phishing test,” the company’s chief security officer Demetrius Comes wrote. “You will need to retake the Security Awareness Social Engineering training.”

Phishing tests are sent by companies to gauge their employees’ susceptibility to phishing attacks, where people outside the company will attempt to disguise themselves as trusted sources to gain access to sensitive information, like usernames and passwords.

The follow-up email from Comes said that roughly 500 GoDaddy employees clicked on the holiday bonus email and “failed the test.”

Scottsdale-based GoDaddy, the world’s largest domain registrar and web-hosting company, did not respond to repeated requests for comment about the emails. The emails were forwarded to The Copper Courier by three GoDaddy employees.

Earlier this year, Forbes reported that 28,000 GoDaddy customers were impacted after a data breach compromised their account usernames and passwords.

Despite the company surpassing 20 million customers this year and reporting “record customer growth,” the company laid off or reassigned hundreds of employees during the coronavirus pandemic, including in Arizona, Iowa, and Texas.

GoDaddy is not the first company this year to trick employees into falling for phishing scams by dangling the carrot of a potential bonus.

In September, Tribune Publishing, which owns several major newspapers around the country, sent a similar email to its employees.

The email, circulated by several furious Tribune employees on Twitter, said the company was giving out targeted bonuses of $5,000-$10,000, only to later reveal itself as a phishing test sent by the company

this phishing attempt is so funny and so sad pic.twitter.com/3jUidDqz6p

— Danielle Ohl (@DTOhl) September 23, 2020

“The level of cruelty is actually stunning,” Tribune reporter Danielle Ohl wrote at the time.

A Tribune spokesperson later told Vice News that the exercise was part of a regular, internal test to assess phishing risks and said that it had no intention of offending its employees. “In retrospect, the topic of the email was misleading and insensitive, and the company apologizes for its use,” the statement read.

Israel Anticipates a “Long” Land Fight in Gaza to Eradicate Hamas and All of Its Tunnel Systems.
Former US President Jimmy Carter Dies At Age 100
Kim Richards defends Camille Grammer amid feud with ex-husband Kelsey Grammer
North Carolina police: One person injured in the Walmart shooting; suspect has been identified.
What Is Reckless Driving? Everything You Need to Know
Share This Article
Facebook Email Print
Share
What do you think?
Love0
Sad0
Happy0
Sleepy0
Angry0
Dead0
Wink0
Previous Article Reasons why you should stop using Loofah in the shower What is Loofah, Reasons why you should stop using in the shower
Next Article Nella Jones Wiki: Bio, Boyfriend, Instagram, Contact Details Nella Jones Wiki: Bio, Boyfriend, Instagram, Contact Details

Latest Publications

Nigeria Flood Death Toll
Nigeria’s Flooding Death Toll Rises to 151
News
June 2, 2025
India's Northeast Heavy Rain
At Least 34 Dead In India’s Northeast After Heavy Downpour
News
June 2, 2025
Amarna Miller biography
Amarna Miller’s bio, wiki, age, net worth, boyfriend, height and more
Biography
June 1, 2025
Two women robbers dress as 'Roman' sisters to rob a bank
Two women robbers dress as ‘Roman’ sisters to rob a bank
News
May 30, 2025
7 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Beginning a Career in Education
Education
May 30, 2025

Stay Connected

235.3kFollowersLike
69.1kFollowersFollow
11.6kFollowersPin
56.4kFollowersFollow
136kSubscribersSubscribe

You Might also Like

News

A tropical disturbance will affect Florida and bring thunderstorms to the Southeast and Gulf Coast.

June 3, 2022
Legionnaires
News

Two Hotels in Las Vegas Have Been Connected to a Legionnaires’ Outbreak.

August 26, 2023
Fox news today: Starbucks barista writes ‘Pig’ on police officer’s cup
News

Fox news today: Starbucks barista writes ‘Pig’ on police officer’s cup

November 29, 2019
Fox News Today: Denise D’Ascenzo, Connecticut news legend, dies suddenly
News

Fox News Today: Denise D’Ascenzo, Connecticut news legend, dies suddenly

December 8, 2019
Show More
© 2025 Thenewsgod. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use & Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Authors
  • Media Partners
  • Videos
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?