#SCAMALERT SCAMwatch is warning Australian businesses to beware of an invoice email scam seeking payment re-direction. The scam involves scammers pretending to be legitimate suppliers advising changes to payment arrangements. It may not be detected until the business is alerted by complaints from suppliers that payments were not received. PROTECT YOURSELF: - Make yours a ‘fraud-free’ business – effective management procedures can go a long way towards preventing scams. Have a clearly defined process for verifying and paying accounts and invoices. - Consider a multi-person approval process for transactions over a certain dollar threshold. - Ensure your staff are aware of this scam and understand how it works so they can identify it, avoid it and report it. - Double check email addresses - scammers can create a new account which is very close to the real one; if you look closely you can usually spot the fake. - DO NOT seek verification via email – you may be simply responding to the scammer’s email or scammers may have the capacity to intercept the email. - If you think a request is suspicious, telephone the business to seek verification of the email’s authenticity. - DO NOT call any telephone number listed in the email; instead, use contact details that you already have on file for the business, or that you have sourced independently – for example, from a telephone directory. - DO NOT pay, give out or clarify any information about your business until you have looked into the matter further. - Check your IT systems for viruses or malware - always keep your computer security up-to-date with anti-virus and anti-spyware software and a good firewall. For more info: scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/1199838
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 01:07:02 +0000
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