Lost $ 1.2 billion Business Email compromise scams this year :? How your business Stay Safe
- 
Small and large businesses are constantly targeted by scammers and hackers, but small businesses can they are the most vulnerable because limited resources to spend on IT and other preventive measures. One of the biggest scams targeting companies in recent years is known as business mail Compromise (BEC) scams, and the FBI recently released a public service announcement that the total lost by businesses worldwide to these scams in the last two years has reached a staggering $ 1.2 billion. Even more shocking PSA followed that published in January 2015, and since then, the number of victims identified and losses rose by 270%. BEC scams have been reported in 50 states and 79 countries internationally, and judging by the numbers, they are rising. How your small business can protect themselves from becoming a part of this trend?
How email scams compromise business work?
companies Typically, these scams targeting workers with supplies and / or regularly conduct foreign wire transfers. The scammer will compromise a legitimate business email account and use it to perform the unauthorized transfer of funds. Although BEC scams usually involve wire transfers, if a company uses checks for payments, fraudsters will follow to complete the fraudulent transaction appears as legitimate as possible. Scammers compromise email accounts within the company or through phishing emails that trick the account owner by clicking on a malicious link. Sometimes the scam is achieved through the use of e-mail that has an area that is very close now '- for example, if your company uses "@ abc_company.com," the fraudster will use "@ abc-company.com."
another version of this scam sees the fraudster to get more aggressive by posing as a lawyer or other legal representative and contact the company about to an important issue. This scam can be done by email or telephone, and usually pressures of his victims quickly or secretly act and wire money immediately. No matter how the fraud was committed, they seem to work, given the amount lost and the number of companies that have been victims is constantly increasing.
Statistics from the PSA FBI about compromise corporate email scams
BEC scams are particularly insidious because they target specific people within a company in an attempt to deceive by sending payments to what they think is a legitimate business partner or supplier. They often use a compromised email account to spy the target to learn the language habits and business practices to better pull the wool over the eyes. For example, this post on the blog Krebs on Security described a woman who nearly lost his company $ 315,000 after receiving an email from her boss to ask him to wire money to China to pay for raw materials. The email was actually a scammer pretending to be his boss, but because he was traveling abroad at the time, she was almost convinced. BEC scams have misled people to businesses large and small, new and established. It is important for companies to take steps to help prevent these scams from happening to them.
How can I protect my business from these scams?
1. Consider recording all the areas that are similar to that of your company uses. Many spammers are able to fool their goals successfully, because they use an email address with a domain that is almost identical to that of a company uses. People are not always as perceptive as they should be, especially against what may seem routine wire transfer. Recording areas that are slightly different from your own puts you a step ahead of the fraudsters.
2. Make sure your employees have a process in place regarding the transfer of funds. The FBI suggests the establishment of an authentication process in two stages - as having more than one person or department look over and sign an application. In addition, ask employees to check with the telephone and e-mail address numbers they know rather than those written in emails. All e-mails must be carefully examined, and employees should be encouraged to talk if something seems "off" for them -. As a change in tone, spelling errors or a difference in the routine
3. Resist broadcast your every move on social media. Since the compromise of enterprise email scams are targeted and tailored to their victims, it is important for companies to take the same precautions urged ordinary people in the prevention of identity theft. Social media can be a great tool for businesses to use in respect of self-promotion and marketing, but not everyone is looking nice. Broadcast when the CEO moves and what they do gives scammers ammunition to use when attempting these scams.
4. Strengthen your Internet security. If you use an Internet security software for your business, now is the time to get one. And if you use one, consider looking for improvements that could be made to protect your network and prevent emails from being hacked in the first place. In addition to using security software on computers, employees should also be responsible for taking care when you click on links and also report any unusual activity on their email account of people inside or outside of the company to a supervisor or member IT.
What should I do if I am the target of a scam?
If your company is targeted by a company email scam compromised you should contact your bank immediately after the completion of a fraudulent transfer. Fraud is taken sooner the better, and it is possible that the bank may be able to stop or reverse a transfer if notified quickly enough. Then contact your local FBI office and report the fraudulent transfer. It is possible that they might be able to assist the return or freeze funds if your bank can not. Finally, a report on all the money lost with the Crime Complaint Center of the FBI Internet.
You can learn more about you and your company to protect against scams by visiting our blog protect against identity theft.
0 comments:
Post a Comment