Did you know that almost half of people with social media accounts have admitted to falling for shopping scams? These are your every day people seeing advertisements online and thinking some things are too good to pass up, but they are falling for internet scams every day. But what if your staff is doing a little last minute Christmas shopping from work? This could put your business at a huge risk of falling prey to a scam as well, even though your employees are shopping with their personal accounts. What does this mean, and how can you be sure your business is protected?

New research shows that a massive 47% of people have clicked on links hoping to get a great deal, and instead ended up giving financial and personal details to cyber criminals. That’s not good for your every day Joe, but it’s also terrible news for your business! If a staff member does shopping on a company computer or phone, they are not only putting their own data and money at risk, but your device – and even your network – could be a victim too.

Phishing links (fake emails disguised as a person or brand you trust) are also tricking people: 36% of people have revealed their personal data because of these.

The same number have fallen for gift card scams – that’s where criminals gain victims’ trust and persuade them to buy gift cards or online vouchers.

If an employee clicks a malicious link or downloads an infected file using their work computer or phone, the results for your business could be devastating. Not only is your data and reputation at risk, but the cost of downtime while you try to restore your business is enough to put many people out of business for good.

With all that said, how can you protect your business against this kind of scam – not just for the holidays but throughout the year?

First, if you don’t already have the right cyber security tools in place – such as firewalls, antivirus software, and strong password management – this is a non-negotiable precaution all business must have! You should also stay focused on training your people because your best line of defense is a team that recognizes a threat when they see one. Educate them on the latest scams so they know the warning signs to look out for. Advise everyone to check that links are genuine, websites are the real deal, and be suspicious of offers that look too good to be true.

Another line of defense is to have a strong response plan in place that kicks in the moment a security breach is spotted. Employees should all know who to report any incidents to. Acting quickly often lessens the impact of a data breach and makes it faster and less expensive to fix.

Need some help putting together a response plan, or do you need more security for your business? Get in touch with us.