Three Steps to Protect Your Business from Email Fraud

Did you know that email fraud is the cause of 91% of data breaches?

Cybercriminals are becoming increasingly clever in their methods to gain access to sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers. While you may think that cyberattacks only target large corporations and your business will never be affected, the truth is that small to medium businesses are top of the list for cybercriminals because they often don’t have a strong security system.

The good news is that 100% of these email fraud attacks are preventable if your team has the training and preparation. Cybercriminals target busy, fast-moving companies like yours in the hopes that your team is distracted and will click on a foul link or give away sensitive information.

There are three steps to identifying and avoiding a harmful email:

1. Stop
2. Look
3. Think

1. STOP

Incoming emails never seem to end, and it’s easy to let your guard down when you’re sorting through a lengthy email queue. Always look twice before interacting with an email. At first glance, fraudulent emails can appear harmless, like an invoice or a correspondence from a coworker. If you look closely, you’ll notice suspicious email content.

2. LOOK

Keep a vigilant lookout for telltale signs of a fraudulent email. These include:

• Fake Sender: Hackers often impersonate other domains to gain your trust. Always make sure the “From” email is legitimate (e.g., real name, proper spelling).
• Generic Message or Poor Writing: Generic or poorly written content (or a generic opening such as “Dear Customer”) is a good indication that the email is fake.
• Urgency: Be on your guard if you ever receive an email whose subject line or message seems unnecessarily urgent (ie, it’s not your boss asking if you’ve seen his keys). Cybercriminals use urgency to make you flustered and take action without checking twice.
• False Links & Attachments: Malicious links and attachments can do any number of harm to your business if clicked. If you receive an email that includes a link or attachment, check if the link is legitimate (eg, includes HTTPS://).

Each time you receive an email, doublecheck any links before clicking. Does the link structure look abnormal or doesn’t match the email sender? Does the URL not start with HTTPS:? Similarly, if you weren’t expecting to receive an attachment (such as a PDF) from a sender, don’t click on it.

Closing Remarks

If an email seems even the slightest bit suspicious, contact the sender to confirm before interacting with the email. If a login link is featured in the email, don’t click on it. Instead, go directly to the company website and log in as you normally would.

TCS cares about the security of your business. If you would like more information on recognizing fraudulent emails, please don’t hesitate to contact the TCS team today!