How to Protect Your Business from Phone Scams

Protecting your business from scams is an important part of running any successful business. Many business owners have firewalls and security protocols in place to prevent cybercrime, but what about phone scams?

Whilst many of us are alert to fraudsters and phishers attempting to scam us over the phone, many businesses and employees don’t expect it to happen at work. There are some simple ways to protect your business from phone scams.

1   Train your employees to stay alert

Let’s say your employee receives a call from 02038682413 on their work phone from someone claiming to be from Carphone Warehouse. Whilst they may have quickly sniffed out a potential scam on their personal phone, receiving such a call on a work phone may be unexpected and throw the employee off their guard. The best way to avoid this is to remind your employees that phone scams can happen to businesses and that they should use the same scepticism they would receiving a call on their personal phone.

2   Beware of SMS phishing

Not all phone scams take place over a call. Scammers are increasingly using SMS, often posing as businesses and even acquiring SMS IDs that look legitimate in order to get the receiver to click a link and enter sensitive information. If you or one of your employees receives text messages to a work phone claiming to be from a bank, internet provider, or any other supposedly legitimate source, contact that company via the phone number on their website to find out if the text is real.

3   Don’t automatically call back

Another common type of phone scam is a one ring scam. These scammers call you but only let the phone ring once. They hope that you will call back and incur expensive fees from which the scammer profits. They may even leave a voicemail to encourage you to call them. If you or your employees get a phone call from an unfamiliar number, be wary and try to find out where the call has come from before calling back.

4   Download security apps on your phone

There are plenty of apps out there, such as call blocking apps or mobile security apps, that can help you protect yourself, your business, and your employees. Always choose an app from a trusted provider and research apps before you download them onto your work phone. Most Apple phones have in-built security measures too, so don’t spend more than you really need to on security apps.

5   Keep an eye on your phone bill

Discrepancies and high call charges on your business’s phone bill are often tell-tale signs of security breaches or scams. If you spot an unauthorised charge on your phone bill, contact your mobile, landline, or virtual phone system provider to dispute the charge. Even if it is not the result of a scam, it’ll help you catch and stop any unwanted charges or services on your account.

Protecting your business from scams mostly involves using common sense and remaining alert. Ensuring that your employees do the same and that you and they are aware of the potential phone scams out there is the best way to protect your business. Just because it’s happening on a work phone, doesn’t mean it can’t be a scam.