Recent Scams Targeting Australian Businesses
There have been increasing scams targeting Australian businesses. Cybercriminals are using platforms like LinkedIn and company websites to gather information about employees. They then contact accounting staff, pretending to be Management or Directors, and ask for money transfers to fraudulent bank accounts.
Stay Vigilant: Protecting Your Finances
The users most at risk are those managing company finances. These individuals are frequently targeted. Please share this message with all staff, especially accountants. In every incident we’ve seen, it involved a fraudulent request for a bank transfer.
How to Avoid Falling Victim
Always Confirm Requests
If you receive an unusual transaction request, always confirm it with a follow-up call to the Management or Directors. Do not solely rely on emails. It’s crucial to verify all requests to prevent fraud.
Password Protection
Create Strong Passwords
Ensure your passwords are strong. Avoid using dictionary words or simple sequences. This is especially important for your email and Microsoft accounts, as these are common targets for hackers.
Types of Scams
We have identified three types of scams that businesses should be aware of:
Case 1: Fake Domains
Scammers may register domains that look very similar to your own. For example, a scammer might register www.allphones.com with an uppercase “I” instead of a lowercase “l” (www.alIphones.com). A fraudulent email could then be sent from the CEO’s “spoofed” address, requesting a money transfer. Always verify the sender’s domain.
Case 2: Email Spoofing
Scammers can forge your email address to make it appear legitimate. For instance, they may send an email that looks like it’s from obama@whitehouse.gov, but it is actually from a different server. Advanced email systems check for authorized servers, and if the email isn’t from the correct domain, it will be rejected.
Case 3: Modified From Address
In this scam, the “From” address might appear authentic (e.g., john.smith@yourcompany.com). However, when you click “Reply,” the recipient’s address changes to something like john.smith@differentcompany.com. Always double-check the reply address to ensure it’s legitimate.
How Chill IT Can Help
Protecting Against Case 2: Email Spoofing
We can help protect your company against email spoofing (Case 2) by implementing an additional layer of security. This ensures that emails sent from your domain are only accepted if they come from an authorized email server.
Note: We cannot prevent cases where scammers use fake domains (Case 1) or modify the reply address (Case 3), as these involve real email addresses.
How It Works:
By implementing this protection, only emails from your authorized email server will be accepted. This makes it much harder for a scammer to send a fraudulent email pretending to be your CEO requesting a payment.
Third-Party Email Solutions
If you use third-party email services like MailChimp, we’ll need to list MailChimp as an authorized server to send emails from your domain.
Contact Chill IT
If you’d like to implement this added security or have any questions, please contact us at:
-
Phone: 1300 726 679
-
Email: support@chillit.com.au
We’d be happy to assist you!
