Fraud warning to Lancashire staff
Fraud warning to Lancashire staff: Is that really your boss on a video call?
A clever new fraud is being targeted at staff – where criminals impersonate their boss on a video call to steal from the business’s bank account.
Local security expert Jonathan, of J700 Group Limited in Rossendale says it’s too easy for staff to be fooled.
“Imagine you were on a video call with your boss. That’s an everyday situation right now,” he said.
“But your boss claims their audio and video isn’t working properly. There’s just a still picture of them displayed.
“Instead they are messaging with you via the chat function, saying how frustrated they are with technology! They throw a few urgent tasks at you, including asking you to pay an urgent invoice from a new supplier. It’s a very feasible situation and many people would just pay.”
But in that scenario it’s not the boss at all and there’s no new supplier. It’s a cyber-criminal, who has got access to the boss’s email account and set up the whole thing. The funds are going into their bank account.
“Just by breaching the boss’s email account, they can send emails to set up video calls and reset the password for the video call platform,” Jonathan added.
“Moving the conversation onto a video platform is very smart. Psychologically, most people would believe it was their boss who was connected and AV issues can be common on calls.”
Jonathan says the best defence against this is to stop hackers from getting into email in the first place. That means using long random passwords, a password manager to remember them, and multi factor authentication – where you generate a login code on a separate device.
Regular staff training can also help staff have the confidence to challenge the person they’re speaking to if something doesn’t feel right.
J700 Group Limited was formed in 2015 and specialises in supporting local businesses in the Lancashire area.
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J700 Group are a Lancashire-based, family-run, professional and responsive, Managed Solutions Provider helping Businesses to utilise Innovative IT Consultancy Services, Cloud Solutions, Cyber Security, Microsoft 365, Telecoms, Web Design and SEO solutions to propel their organisation to the next level and beyond.
As an experienced IT Support Provider, helping businesses across Lancashire & Manchester, if you need any assistance with your IT including IT Hardware, a Disaster Recovery Policy or Managed Backup Solutions; Contact us today to see how we can help your business.
Call us today: 0333 7721 700
Where to find us: Prinny Mill Business Centre, 68 Blackburn Road, Haslingden, Lancashire, BB4 5HL
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