Cybercrime Prevention: Keeping Your Business Safe

Our lives have become largely reliant on the internet - whether it be personal or professional, we perform most of our day-to-day tasks on a computer or phone. Banking, storing photos, emailing, etc. all create a plethora of information right in our personal devices, and cybercriminals want access to all of it.

According to a 2020 report from Kaspersky, 1 in 5 adults who use the internet reported they had experienced cyber fraud. This can seem alarming and may make you wonder how you can possibly combat these sleuthing criminals and keep them away from your business. We aren’t sharing this information to scare you; we want to help arm you with the tools to spot a potential crime and prevent your business from falling victim. Bustling and busy businesses are easy targets for these types of crimes, as employees who are moving quickly don’t always notice the subtle signs of a scam.

PHISHING EMAILS

Phishing is one of the most common types of cyberattacks and can be one of the easiest scams to fall prey to. Phishing involves cybercriminals impersonating someone else, such as a team member or a company you trust and use. Usually coming in the form of emails with strange requests, phishing emails ask you to share information that could put your business at risk. For example, maybe they “forgot” a password, need you to sign in to verify your account or ask you to purchase something on a company credit card. IBM's 2021 Cost of a Data Breach Report found that 85% of phishing attacks went after user credentials, which proves it is more important than ever to make sure employees can spot a fraudulent attempt to gain information.

If these requests are out of the ordinary or don’t fall under your job responsibilities, make sure to stop and reach out to the requestor personally to verify their request. Signs of a phishing email may not always be easy to spot at first, which is why you should always take another look at the requestor’s email. While cybercriminals can do a great job impersonating someone else, an out-of-the-ordinary email can give them away if you’re vigilant.

“FREE” OFFERS OR CLAIMS YOU’VE WON

Another type of scam that is popular is receiving a claim that you have won a prize or given a free subscription. While it is exciting to win, there are easy ways to determine if this is a scam. For example, the scammer has claimed you won, but they say you must pay some sort of fee to either claim the prize or pay taxes on it. They may ask you to pay by wiring money or sending cash or gift cards because these forms of payment are hard to track. Or they may ask for your financial information, whether it be bank account or credit card. Keep in mind there is never any reason to give these pieces of information to claim any sort of prize.

Always proceed with caution when receiving emails with claims that seem too good to be true. If you are suspicious about an email claiming you have won, the best practice is to Google the company that

supposedly sent the email and verify its legitimacy. Never use the link in an email, as this can be used to infect your computer and gain your information, bringing harm to your business.

CREATE A PLAN TO AVOID CYBERATTACKS

Being prepared and having a plan are important ways to keep your business safe. Making sure all employees know the signs of a scam is key, as it only takes one person, one time, to allow cybercriminals access to your private information. Being vigilant and verifying even the most basic out of order emails could save your business. Make sure employees are asking the right questions and looking for those out-of-the-ordinary clues. Does this email look suspicious? Is this an odd request? This training and knowledge can help stop scammers in their tracks.

Even on a bustling day with numerous clients and emails, always stop to take the time and verify an email or link. If you don’t, it could seriously cost your business time and money.