Don’t let your business get caught out by online scams

Don’t let your business get caught out by online scams

A recent ransomware cyber-attack has impacted a number of organisations around the globe, including Australian businesses. It’s important to make sure you have measures in place to protect your business from online scams.

Tips to help your business stay safe from online scams

• Don’t open emails that look suspicious. Things to watch out for include the words ‘free’ or ‘money’ in the title.
• Back-up your data regularly to ensure that none of it is lost in the event you are attacked. Ransomware attacks works by encrypting your files and demanding payment for the release of the data, eventually threatening to delete the data if the ransom is not paid by a certain time. There are several ways to back up your data, such as storing it on an external hard drive, cloud computing, saving your data on USBs, CDs or a local server.
• Always take time to stop and consider requests for your personal credit card details. If you’re unsure about why your details are needed, try contacting the agency to ask about the request. If you’re contacting the agency, always make sure you contact them via a different channel, such as through their official website or a directory listing, and not through an email they’ve sent you or a phone number they’ve provided to you.
• Be wary about products or schemes that involve winning or inheriting money.
• Use spam filters to reduce the amount of spam and phishing emails that your business receives. Applying a spam filter will help to minimise the chance that you or your employees will unknowingly open a phishing or fraudulent email.
• Train your staff about the importance of online safety, and make sure they are aware of their rights and responsibilities when using a computer and accessing the internet from work. Develop clear policies for staff around computer use and have these policies readily available to staff during their induction training. You may also consider providing regular training to ensure all employees are aware of the IT security policies in your business.
• Understand how to spot a scam. Check out SCAMwatch’s See a scam page to find out what a scam looks like in action.

Don’t let your business get caught out! Protect your business and stay alert.

More information:

• Visit Stay Smart Online for more steps to protect your business online.
• Subscribe to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) SCAMwatch newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest scams.
• Take a look at our information on keeping your online business activity safe and secure.

Original article appeared first at Business.gov.au >

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