Earlier this month, we supported Get Safe Online and Action Fraud’s campaign to encourage businesses to educate their staff to become more aware of online fraud. The staggering figures released show that over £1 billion was reported lost by businesses from March 2015-March 2016 as a result of online fraud. The importance of prevention training and education cannot be underestimated when tackling this growing problem which is affecting businesses of all sizes.
Gripped by the fact that the figures only show the reported crime, the true reality could be even higher as they do not take into account the businesses that choose not to report online crime to the police. Online fraud is both an external and internal threat, with Corporate Fraud listed in the top ten most reported crimes by businesses in the last 12 months.
So what can be done to prevent online fraud? We shared the Get Safe Online recommendations for businesses to protect their organisation from online crime. These include setting up structured employee education and awareness training, increasing protection of networks and enforcing a strict password policy for all employees and contractors. The financial impact from online fraud is only one factor, the consequences of online fraud can be far reaching, affecting other areas including the reputation and trust in the business.
Fortunately there is a solution. Whilst online fraud is an increasing problem for businesses, with the right education and training fraudsters can be outsmarted. Get Safe Online have produced online guidelines to educate the business community’s most important security guards – their employees. Businesses need to make sure they are doing all they can to ensure staff from entry-level to the board have appropriate online fraud awareness training. Everyone has a role in keeping the business secure.