Most Popular Scams To Watch Out For Part 1
Let’s talk about some of the most popular scams to watch out for
Fake Invoices
One scam is where they create phony invoices that look like they’re for products or services your business uses — maybe office or cleaning supplies or domain name registrations. Scammers hope the person who pays your bills will assume the invoices are for things the company actually ordered. Scammers know that when the invoice is for something critical, like keeping your website up and running, you may pay first and ask questions later. Except it’s all fake, and if you pay, your money may be gone.
Unordered Office Supplies and Other Products
Scammers are really good at making you believe that they are who they say they are. A big one is pretending to work for the government. You may receive a surprise of unordered merchandise and then get high pressured into paying for it. But, if you did not place the order, you are not obligated to pay!
Directory Listing and Advertising Scams
Scammers may pretend to be from the Yellow Pages or another well-known business. They may ask for your contact information for a “free” listing or say they are just checking on an existing order. If you give out your details during the call, they will use it to try and scam you later with a big bill. Never give out personal contact information over the phone – insist on mailing in any orders you want to place.
Utility Company Imposter Scams
With Utility Company Imposter Scams, scammers pretend to call from a gas, electric, or water company saying your service is about to be interrupted. They want to scare you into believing a late bill must be paid immediately. Their timing is often carefully planned to create the greatest urgency — like just before the dinner rush in a restaurant. Hang up and call your utility company back directly using the customer service number on your bill.
Government Agency Imposter Scams
Scammers impersonate government agents and business regulatory agencies, threatening to suspend business licenses unless the victim pays a fine immediately. These scammers use real agency addresses, names, and phone numbers to make their scams seem legitimate. The scam often comes in the form of letters, warning that a business’ trademark will be lost if they don’t pay a fee immediately, or saying the company owes money for additional registration services.
Tech Support Scams
How do tech support scams start? Scammers may call, place alarming pop-up messages on your computer, offer free “security” scans, or set up fake websites – all to convince you that your computer is infected. They will try to sell you unnecessary and ineffective services, or access and use your computer to do things without your knowledge or permission. Who are the scammers? The scammers are people who say they work for major technology companies like Microsoft or Apple, using online directories to find people’s contact information. The callers might disguise their identity by using fake names and locations to sound convincing.
Social Engineering, Phishing, and Ransomware
Your employees play a critical role in protecting your company from cyber scams that target your organization through spear-phishing attacks and ransomware. These attacks are becoming more sophisticated and appear to come from someone you know or a trusted source. Employees should use caution when opening emails, visiting websites and responding to requests for personal information or payment. Learn more about how to be cyber safe at home and at work.
