By the South Australian Business Chamber corporate members at the Commonwealth Bank
Business email compromise scams target businesses of all sizes. They involve emails from a compromised email address, or emails made to look like they are from someone you know, such as your:
These scams involve emails sent to you or your business with a request to make payment to a new account. This new account may be under the scammer’s control, and your money could be lost. If you get an email with a request to pay a new account, or an invoice with different account details to those usually used — pause, review, reflect. Think about calling the sender of the email before paying.
One variation that is prevalent is payroll scams. In these kinds of scams, cyber criminals impersonate employees in an attempt to trick staff into redirecting funds to the scammer. Staff working in HR, payroll or finance are most at risk.
Educating staff on how to spot these fraudulent emails will mean your business is not compromised and money is not lost. Here is how to keep your business safe, as recommended by the Australian Cyber Security Centre.