Join us and the Federal Trade Commission in celebrating National Veterans Small Business Week. While most of us honor our veteran entrepreneurs and the contributions they make to our communities, scammers have other ideas.
It’s not new information that small businesses are often targeted by scammers who are out to take their profits and steal their sensitive business data. However, small business veterans are frequently keyed during this time of year, taking advantage of their unique interests.
Scammers may adapt tried and true methods for their purposes. For example, they may send fake invoices for products no one ordered and hope that someone pays them. They try to trick businesses into paying for things that are free from the government, like occupational safety posters. Or they might call offering a spot in a non-existent local business directory, but it’s a scam. And utility impersonators call businesses pretending to be the gas, electric, or water company and threatening to cut service due to unpaid bills. But that’s a scammer calling. One way to tell? They ask for payment by wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency, which are common ways scammers have victims pay.
Cyber scammers might be looking to trick veterans with phishing emails or calls that seem to come from a business they know. These business impersonators want sensitive information like passwords or financial information.
Encourage your staff to share common scam information with coworkers and customers. Create a culture of awareness and security and remember a well-educated and trained staff is the best defense against fraud!