Blog

Spam, Scams and Shams

Being part of a connected world comes with its share of pitfalls. Sometimes these pitfalls are just annoying, but at times they can lead to serious headaches or become criminal. As options to communicate increase, so do the problems. Phone calls, texts, email, social media and more can all become ways people try to trick us. It can be even more challenging for business owners and sales professionals because we want people to be able to find and reach us! How can we avoid the pitfalls?

The efforts to prevent spam, scams and shams are ongoing, but never fully effective. A stronger response is continued education, vigilance and caution. Many IT companies offer training to help keep current on the latest scam techniques. Our partner AMBIT includes annual training to help us. They can also advise on implementing two-factor authentication, password protection and additional security measures. You can reach them at https://www.techambit.com/free-risk-scan.htm.

A common scam comes if you join a board of directors for an organization, join a community group like a chamber of commerce or join a networking organization. Organizations like these often help promote your business by publishing your contact information. While this can be immensely helpful in reaching new customers, it also feeds scammers details they will try to use against you.

While serving on boards I’ve received numerous emails and texts pretending to be from the board chair or president of the organization asking for gift card purchases or other monetary favors. If this is unusual behavior for your organization, it is likely a scam at work. A local networking organization has recently been subject to a similar scam tactic. We’ve been receiving emails and texts from other “group members” making unusual requests. Staying connected, communicating and remaining cautious is minimizing any potential damage from this latest scam.

And remember, if something “feels” off, STOP! Pause. Verify. You can read more on this subject in our blog posts, You’ve been hacked! and How to recognize a scam email.

The ongoing challenge to remain connected and avoid the scams and shams remains. Education, communication and stronger relationships are some of the best defenses. Let’s continue to build strong networks and provide quality service and products to our communities while beating the attempts to turn our connections against us.