The New York Knicks organization sent employees a phishing email promising free championship rings in a test of its staff's ability to detect scams, The New York Times reported yesterday. “Congratulations, your Employee Championship Ring is here,” the email sent in late September said, instructing employees to click a link to make a selection from two ring designs.

Madison Square Garden employees who clicked that link "were forced to attend a mandatory cybersecurity class to help satisfy some of [owner James] Dolan’s growing cybersecurity concerns," the report said, citing team sources. Dolan is the owner of the Knicks, the New York Rangers, and Madison Square Garden.

It's common for corporations to send phishing emails to find out which employees don't pay attention to clues that an email is a scam. A cybersecurity-test email often appears to be from the company itself but includes telltale signs of phishing. For example, Ars Technica owner Condé Nast sends phishing-test messages from email addresses with a misspelled domain, "condenest.com."

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Playing for a new team, he sent a message that he was taking this season seriously.

© Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE, via Getty Images

Knicks tickets have never been cheap, but prices for the first game alone are soaring after last season’s championship — more than a trip to Paris.

© Vincent Alban for The New York Times

Knicks tickets have never been cheap, but prices for the first game alone are soaring after last season’s championship — more than a trip to Paris.

© Vincent Alban for The New York Times