Business
Protect Yourself From Malware and Phishing Scams. How?
Scammers use email or text messaging tactics to trick people into believing that their business website has been compromised. Some messages may demand that you remove what deems to be illegally acquired website photos. You may receive an email stating that your system has been taken over and can be retrieved in exchange for money. An "urgent" message from your bank may state that you've won the lottery. These schemes "bait" you with trust or fear and persuade you to take action with a sense of urgency to download and install unwanted software – often bundled with popular free downloads. These cybercrimes are referred to as phishing and malware attacks. WHAT IS PHISHING? Phishing is a cyber-attacking method that uses deceptive e-mails, pop-ups, banner ads, and websites to gain illicit...Read More
Scam Alert: Beware of Phishing Email Claiming Photo Copyright Infringement
As technology advances, so do the scammers. They are becoming more professional in pursuit of obtaining access to user accounts and getting control of victims' devices to perform malicious intents. Recent client reports claim phishing emails have been received from a cyberattacker pretending to be a professional photographer or illustrator by the name "Mel" or "Mellie," "Melvin," "Melinda," "Melissa" or any other variations including the last name, aggressively claiming you have copyrighted images on your website. Some reported personas such as Loretta, Simone, and Christy. The sender writes and threatens to file a complaint with your hosting company and sue you. This classic phishing scheme has the intent to elicit an emotional response from users and trick them into clicking a link. The ...Read More
Email management: How to stop phishing and malware attacks
E-mail cyber attacks are on the rise. According to a case study, Google has registered over 2.1 million phishing sites as of January 2021. This is up by a staggering 27% in a little over 12-months and has become an increasingly common day-to-day struggle for businesses affecting over 75% of organizations worldwide. In Q1 and Q2 of 2020, scams related to COVID-19 have significantly caused the ramp-up resulting in an increased percentage (112%) of incidents involving payment and fraud. These cyber-attacks trigger business data breaches that result in severe consequences that include reputational damage, financial losses, loss of consumer confidence, and loss of company value, among others. For individuals, phishing and malware attacks lead to devastating results that include identity theft, ...Read More
Beware Of Copyright Infringement Email Messages
Have you ever received an email saying you are violating someone's copyright-protected image(s)? Usually, it will come from a Contact form or some other type of form on your website. It will look something like this official notification email below: The purpose is to scam you into downloading a virus, so be aware of these types of emails. Look at the email, look at the email address, read through the email, do you see mistakes and bad grammar? These are signs that it's not a true email but a bot or phishing/spam/malware type email. Do not interact with the email at all. Especially, do not open or download anything in an email from anyone you don't know. The best thing to do is to Delete any email that looks like a Scam. If you're wondering, then it probably is… If you have questions...Read More
Getting Your Business Ready for 2021
Have You Set Your Business Plan For Next Year? Businesses were among the first to feel the drastic changes that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. But, along with the rapid change is also the development of our adaptive capabilities. 9-months ago were full of uncertainties, and thriving turned to survival for most. Yet, now we have bounced back, adapted, and pivoted in a way that we never thought we could. With this "new normal," we can only anticipate the challenges that lie ahead. Nonetheless, going forward is the only option to harness ourselves and our business' growth for the coming years. Now that this historic year is about to end, a new question lies, "How Do I Get My Business Ready For 2021?" Before you answer that question, think first about how you can strengthen the remainin...Read More
COVID-19 And Your Home Inspection Business
COVID-19 And How You Can Keep Your Home Inspection Business Alive! It's up to all of us to slow the spread of COVID-19. Everyone, including young and healthy people, should avoid large gatherings during this time. Stay up-to-date with public health guidelines from cdc.gov. But we still have to Live Our Lives and Work. So we just need to be more selective in the things that we do to market our home inspection business. Here are a few things to do that will help keep you in front of your prior clients and agent base so when the coronavirus episode is over, you'll be ready to get back to it fast and furious. Call Your Agents and let them know you're still Inspecting. Stay in touch with them Send out a video showing what you're doing to keep everyone safe on the inspection Stay up to date, rep...Read More