The techniques used by scammers these days are often sophisticated. In addition, they rely on the fact that you’re very busy and more likely to hand over personal information or pay an invoice without thinking, particularly if the name or layout of the communication looks similar to who they are pretending to be.
Although it’s an unpleasant experience, there is no shame in falling victim to an online scam, virus, or other online crime. It can happen to any of us and it’s important to remember that help is always available. There are also steps you can take to prevent becoming a victim again.
If you think you or your business has been scammed, read our tips below for what you should do next.
1. Stop contact
Immediately stop any contact with the scammer and do not pay any more money. Whether you’ve paid a fraudulent invoice, received an unsolicited call resulting in payment to a “Microsoft” or other technology “representative”, or your systems have been locked with ransomware, a scammer or cybercriminal will never refund you.
2. Contact your bank
If you’ve sent money or personal bank or credit card details, contact your bank immediately to freeze or close your accounts. Your bank may be able to stop a transaction, or you may be able to recover any loss if you have protected your access number and password.
3. Get the scammer’s details
Write down any details you have about the scammer like their telephone number, email address, website address or any other pertinent information. These details can help the relevant government bodies in identifying the scammers or close down the ways in which they are contacting people.
4. Raise awareness
Let friends, family and colleagues know about your experience and the steps you’ve taken. Although it may be embarrassing, sharing your experience with those closest to you is a powerful way to raise awareness of how easy it is to be scammed, and prevent it from happening to someone else.
5. Report the crime
Immediately report the scam or cybercrime to the relevant agency. There are many agencies in Australia that specialise in specific scams, so if you’re unsure where to report the crime, visit the Australian Cyber Security Centre website.
6. Protect yourself
If you’ve fallen victim to a crime, moving forward it is important to put in place measures to prevent it from happening again. Steps you can take include securing important accounts and systems with two factor authentication; using different passwords for different sites and applications; educating employees on how to spot scams and what to do if they think someone is trying to scam them; keeping software up-to-date; and backing up important data to an external source or cloud-based service.
Tip: If you are concerned about an elderly relative, consider adding your mobile number to their bank account.
At CyberPro, we specialise in cybersecurity. For a no-obligation chat on how to prevent you or your business becoming a victim of a scam or cybercrime and a free assessment of any security risks your IT systems may face, please contact us.
