Madison Square Garden Sports is facing backlash after reports surfaced that it used a fake championship-ring offer as phishing bait in an employee cybersecurity test.

Employees received an email offering a free personalized ring; anyone who clicked the link was required to attend a mandatory cybersecurity class, according to CBS New York.

"MSG was recently hacked and extorted using an employee login and password obtained through a similar phishing attack. Using the rings as a lure to gain employees' attention was an unfortunate mistake," a spokesperson said. MSG said it is distributing more than 275 championship rings and pieces of jewelry, valued at over $3.7 million, to players, coaches and staff — but critics note some longtime employees reportedly won't receive one regardless, according to E! News.