Be a Hero and Stop Cybercrime
We’ve all heard and read lots about how to avoid email scams. The problem is we’re all human, and humans sometimes make mistakes – even heroes. What would a hero do if they were the victim of a cybercrime?
We’ve all heard and read lots about how to avoid email scams. We are generally more educated and better able to identify malicious emails claiming to be delivery notices from Amazon or instructions on how to accept an e-transfer of funds from a distant relative.
The problem is we’re all human, and humans sometimes make mistakes – even heroes. It’s what we do about the mistakes that makes all the difference to your bank account or your organization’s information and systems.
In our experience (yes, lived experience), acting quickly when you realize that you may be a victim of an email scam can limit or eliminate any real damage. Think of the difference between five minutes, five hours and five days. A very sophisticated scam might be able to withdraw money from a bank account within five minutes, however these same scammers will not want to draw the attention of your bank so will first attempt to withdraw a small amount. If they are successful, they will try larger and larger amounts over a period of days.
If you contact your bank right away, however, they can take action to prevent this almost immediately. Likewise, if you contact your IT department, they can take quick action to protect your organization’s critical systems and mitigate any loss or damage.
And if you’re not sure if you’ve been victimized, assume the worst and reach out. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
We all have bad days; intelligent people can fall victim to an email scam. The heroes in our midst will admit that they made a mistake and reach out for help.
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