Don’t Get Swindled By these Common Cyberscams!

Businesses are constantly juggling customers, orders, and a dozen other things. The last thing you need is a digital thief trying to get their hands on your hard-earned money. Unfortunately, there are a lot of online tricksters out there, and they often like to pick on small businesses, thinking they're easier targets. 

Let’s look at some of the common tricks these cybercriminals use and how having good computer support can be like having a trusty guard dog for your business information.

Not All Messages Are Your Friends

You know those spam emails about winning a lottery you never entered? Well, modern scam emails are much sneakier. Crooks can send messages that look like they're from your bank, a supplier, or even the government. 

Sometimes, they’ll send a fake bill that looks real, hoping you’ll pay it without double-checking. Or, an email might look like it’s from your boss, asking you to quickly send money or buy gift cards for an urgent reason. This is a common trick and it costs small businesses quite literally billions of dollars every year.

When Your Files Are Held Hostage

When you are a victim of ransomware, it is like someone has kidnapped your important information and is holding it for ransom. In 2023, the average ransom demand was a shocking $1.54 million. For a small business, this could mean having to close up shop. In fact, a majority of small businesses say they couldn’t stay open if this happened to them.

The Unwanted Guest

Malware is a general term for bad software, like computer viruses or spy programs, that criminals use to steal your information or mess up your computers. It can sneak onto your computer if you click a bad link in an email, visit an infected website, or even plug in a contaminated USB stick. 

Once it's in, it can steal your passwords, copy your bank details, or even use your computer to attack others. It’s estimated that millions of websites have this nasty software hidden on them at any one time.

The Fake Bill Trick

This one is really sneaky. Criminals might get into your email, or one of your suppliers' emails, and change the bank account details on a real bill. So, when you think you're paying your supplier, the money actually goes to the crook. They might also just send you a completely fake bill for something you never bought, hoping you're too busy to notice.

Old Passwords Can Unlock New Doors

Do you use the same password for lots of different websites? Many people do, but it's not a good practice because it is inherently risky.

Criminals get lists of stolen passwords from other website break-ins off the dark web. Then, they use computer programs to try those stolen passwords on many other accounts, like your business bank account or email. If you've reused a password, they could get in. That’s why having a different, strong password for everything is so important.

People Can Be Tricked

It’s not always about fancy computer hacking. Often, these criminals trick people into giving away information or clicking on bad links. That’s why it's so important for everyone in a business to learn how to spot these scams. Believe it or not, employees at small businesses get targeted with these social engineering tricks far more often than employees at big companies.

Why Do They Target Small Businesses? 

Criminals often go after small businesses because they think they don't have big IT security teams or the latest protection. If they succeed, it can cost a lot. If your computers are down, you can’t help customers or make money. This can cost a small business thousands of dollars per day. You’ll have to pay experts to investigate, get your data back, and fix your computers. This can cost anywhere from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

If your customers' information is stolen, they might not want to do business with you anymore. More than half the people in the U.S. say they’d be less likely to stick with a business after it’s been hacked. Depending on what information is lost, you could even face fines from the government.

Solid Technology Support is Your Shield

This all sounds scary, but you don’t have to fight these digital bad guys alone. Here at Suffolk Computer Consultants, we help businesses stay safe. We don’t just wait for problems to happen; we work to stop them before they start. Here’s how:

• Access control - We can outfit your business with both physical and digital access control tools that will keep your assets more secure than they would be otherwise. 
• Knowledge sharing - We can help train your team to spot scam emails and use computers safely.
• Backed up - We make sure all your important business information is copied and stored safely, so if anything bad happens, you can get it back quickly.
• Monitoring - Our managed IT services mean we’re always keeping an eye on your computer systems to spot trouble early.
• Dark Web monitoring - We can even check the hidden parts of the internet to see if any of your business’ passwords or information are being sold by criminals.

Not taking steps to protect your business can end up costing you a lot more than getting good IT help. It's like having insurance for your important digital stuff and your good name. Staying safe means being aware and making security a part of your everyday routine.

Would you like to find out how Suffolk Computer Consultants can help your business build a stronger defense against these online threats? Don’t wait until trouble finds you. Give us a call today at 631-905-9617 to learn more.