Know The Signs of Online Scams
The increase of remote staffers in recent weeks means many companies are scrambling to make certain that their infrastructures remain stable outside the safety of their secure office locations. To make things a little easier, we want to share information to educate your remote staff about online security while supporting your infrastructures and keeping them safe. See tips below to increase security for remote staff.
Phishing scams and online security
The first thing to note is that phishing attacks are looking to exploit fears. Staff should be on alert for emails exploiting the current COVID situation. For instance, an email appearing to be from the Center for Disease Control or the World Health Organization. Unfortunate, yes – but expected. In times like these scammers are searching for ways into your business to steal data, protected files or financial gain.
Be on alert for phishing scams and communications with:
- Offers that seem too good to be true
- Sense of urgency
- Unknown senders
- Unfamiliar contacts
Protips for recognizing these online losers is to be aware of anyone pressing for immediate action, URLs or email domains that are similar to people you interact with but are one or more characters off. For example, a big email scam is for “faux banks to use an email like [email protected]. Adding in an extra character that hopefully a quick glance won’t catch, you are likely to click and supply pertinent info that could be detrimental to yourself and or your business.
Common nowadays are cybercriminals searching to get small amounts of funds that might go unnoticed. Yes, that’s right! Savvy cyber scammers will send invoices for the same amount that feel and appear similar to the recipient, so at a quick glance, the fraud is not noticed. But a closer look will reveal the email, physical address or account is not correct. This type of scam will result in you paying the fraudster, or the fraudster obtaining funds that should be coming to you! Always be sure to verify your vendors when using a third-party application such as PayPal, square, etc. These guys are tricky and you have to level up your game to stay ahead of them!
If you feel that you or any of your staff have received a phishing scam be sure to notify the FTC by filing a complaint and make sure your company has a Cyber program to protect your business.
