Talk Like A Vampire Month Boosts Cybersecurity Awareness
As the new year begins, CyberWyoming is encouraging small businesses and individuals to strengthen their cybersecurity habits by participating in Talk Like a Vampire Month to help people spot scams and think twice before clicking.
Created by CyberWyoming, Talk Like a Vampire Month brings humor into cybersecurity training without losing its bite. The initiative encourages individuals and businesses to read suspicious emails aloud in a dramatic vampire accent, forcing a pause that often reveals red flags hidden in everyday messages.
“Reading emails like a vampire isn’t just for laughs,” said Laura Baker, Executive Director of CyberWyoming. “It activates the stranger danger you may feel when walking to your parked car in a large city at night, but never feel in the safe space in front of your computer.”
While playful on the surface, the initiative promotes a serious habit: questioning unexpected emails, attachments, and links before clicking. Businesses that participate report increased awareness and stronger skepticism long after the accents fade.
Businesses across Wyoming can participate by integrating the campaign into their workplace routines:
- Initiate the month by announcing the theme, encouraging employees to print out any suspicious emails encountered at home or work.
- Have employees bring these emails to a staff meeting, where they read them aloud with a vampiric accent.
- Award prizes for the best vampiric accent, the employee who identifies the most suspicious emails, and the most reluctant participant embracing the Talk Like a Vampire challenge.
As January sets the tone for the year, CyberWyoming wants to remind small businesses to take the next step with the Made Safe Cybersecurity Training Program; one-on-one cybersecurity training designed specifically for micro-businesses with limited or no IT staff. Built on behavior-change models, it helps participants reduce cyber risk by an average of 70%, eliminate anxiety, and build sustainable security habits.
Businesses can also register for the 2026 Cybersecurity Competition, which runs February through August and includes hands-on training. Winners are invited to speak at a statewide cybersecurity conference.
