Email scams are on the rise all of the time! There are a number of different steps that you can take to minimise the chances of an email scam derailing your business.

This includes the following:

• Empower your team – The first thing you need to do is make sure your employees are educated about these sorts of scams. One of the most common reasons for data breaches today is insider errors. This is because employees do not receive the correct tools and training, and so they make a mistake that ends up giving a cybercriminal a route in. You need to make sure that everyone that works for your business receives some form of training so that they know how to spot these sorts of emails. You also need to make sure your employees are valued and motivation is high so that they feel compelled to help. This is something the likes of Motivosity can assist with. 
• Review your company’s profile online – You should also do an audit of your company’s presence online. It is also wise to reduce the amount of business information that is publicly available on your social media pages, as well as your website. Of course, you need to make it easy for customers to get in touch with you, but you don’t need to share every last detail about your business. 
• Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication – Using two-factor authentication (2FA) and strong passwords mean that you will better protect the security of your email account. For those who are unaware, two-factor authentication is essentially adding another layer of security through the use of an extra authentication method, for example, a code that is sent to your mobile phone via SMS, which you then have to input in order to get into the system. This means that even if someone is able to guess your password, they are not going to have access straight into your account. 
• Keep your software up-to-date – Cybercriminals are always on the lookout for fresh ways to outsmart anti-virus programs. It is imperative that you have the most up-to-date version. In fact, this occurs for all of the software you use at your business, especially if you handle emails via a software program. The best thing to do is change your settings so that any new versions are automatically installed. Every new release will come with a security update, and so it is critical to get this onto your computer as soon as possible. 
• Create a safe payment process – Last but not least, it is vital that your company verifies any payment requests or any requests to change payment details. Make sure you have a process in place that means the email address the request is being sent from is analysed carefully by the receiver. The next step should be that the person from your business handling this then call the person that has sent the email to verify this. This is especially important if the request seems a little bit unusual or the payment details have changed. Once this has been confirmed, you will then be able to action changes or payments to the account details in a safe manner.