Those of you who are self-employed and run your own business from your home office, know how hard you have worked for your brand. It’s almost like another child. So it’s vital that you protect it, keeping hackers, fraudsters and bad business partners away. This is what we’re going to explore right now because sometimes you think that a business partner is offering YOU the opportunity when in reality, it’s your business that is giving them what they need. So, what about hackers? It’s not always from the outside, it could be an employee or perhaps even someone close by in your neighborhood. You should also be aware of fraudsters who pose as investors. Lets take a look at your options.
The golden rotten egg
Sometimes, it can seem like the perfect person to help your business has shown up. They arrive on the scene, suddenly taking a liking to you and what you are doing and offer to be your helping hand. Stop, think and be careful. There have been many cases of investors who rather pseudo investors posing as the golden goose, when in reality they are nothing more than a network of criminals. So here are some questions to ask them.
- Where can you find their professional or career profile?
- Who can you contact to confirm they are who they say they are?
- Will they appear on investor lists that firms hold and if so, which ones are they registered with?
- Can they make an initial offer to show their portfolio, assets and wealth?
- Can they meet you in person and bring along some proof of their holdings and assets?
- Are they searchable on the web?
Cybercriminals or insiders?
We talk a lot about cybercrime but how come we never mention internal threats? If you have employees as a self-made business, chances are that they are not going to be as scared of reprisals from you, as they would working for a larger company. Larger businesses have teams of lawyers and they can take action against anyone. You may not have this luxury so it’s best to make sure that you have great Business IT Support that can track and monitor suspicious activity on your own internal systems. They will let you know when someone has tried to gain access to files and folders unsuccessfully and why that could be.
Phishing for fraud
Phishing still remains one of the highest forms of fraud in the world. This is when you receive an email with a link, and it promises something you would like, such as an investment, marketing campaign discount, skilled talent looking to work for you, etc. it’s vital that you are wary of any email sent to you by someone who is not on your contact list, promising you the world.
Protect your business from those inside it, who may be up to no good by working with an IT support company. And try to put an investor to the test before you go ahead with any moves.