Slamming the door on scammers

You keep your system firewalls current with regular updates and a switched-on IT provider. What about the human factor?

Scammers using social engineering can fool business owners and employees into revealing key business data. Just as people become wise to one technique, scammers develop another. They rely on people being friendly, helpful or naïve. Raise the subject regularly in team meetings to alert your team to scams and strategies to block them.

For instance, ‘pretexting' is a scam where the scammer pretends to be a genuine contact to obtain sensitive data:

• A caller says they’re from the business’ IT consultant and asks for login details because they’re doing ‘routine maintenance’ and need remote access.

  
  

• An official-looking announcement appears on the bulletin board saying the number for the help desk has changed. When employees call for help, a call centre asks for passwords and IDs, gaining access to the company's data.

  
  

• A contact comes through social media as a prospect interested in what the business offers, lulling you into revealing sensitive information.

  
  

• The friendly new reps for one of your suppliers turn up at reception with morning tea for the team and cheerful questions about your business operations and assets.

  
  

Run scenarios with your team. Learn to take a minute. Think. Who do you call to verify the contact is genuine? Your in-house IT Manager, your IT consultant or your General Manager? Put procedures in place to safeguard what information is given out, when and to whom.