This is a short post but it’s an important one.
Ryanair has made headlines all over the world with the news that is has fallen victim to a cyber attack to the tune of 4.6 million Euros. It appears that a fraudulent transfer was made to a bank account in China where Ryanair, it is believed, are in the process of recovering the money. According to a statement from Ryanair: “The airline has been working with its banks and the relevant authorities and understands that the funds have now been frozen.”
It’s not just the big guys that are being targeted, businesses and households in Ireland are currently being targeted with hoax calls from people pretending to be from virus protection software companies. The sole aim of these calls is to swindle money from unsuspecting business and home owners.
A case in point, we were recently contacted by one of our customers and their story should serve as a cautionary tale. They received a call from someone claiming to represent a leading anti-virus protection software company and said that their anti-virus software license was running out and it needed to be renewed. The customer was skeptical and declined to give any credit card details but here is the twist, the caller asked that they click on a specific url and they would run a ‘free’ check on their PC to determine if there was any serious issues with the anti-virus software.
Our customer was given the all clear but a few minutes later received an email from Western Union confirming the transfer of $250 dollars to a Western Union account in China. They inadvertently permitted the caller to scrape the PC for their credit card details and complete the transfer without their permission. Fait accompli!
Microsoft is also taking preventative steps to warm its customers about the possible dangers and the message from Microsoft is clear, ‘Microsoft never cold call or make unsolicited calls to any of our Customers.’
The team at Microsoft have a page that provides more information on how to stay safe online.
On this page, there is a wide range of useful information on:
– Creating Stronger Passwords
– Protecting Your Information
– Avoid tech support phone scams
– Avoiding Scams and Hoaxes
– Tips to Stay Safe Online
So, beware of anti-virus software hoaxes and scams. Here is what we recommend:
DO
- Hang up immediately – the caller may well call several times so be aware.
- Let Microsoft know if it’s a hoax Microsoft call.
DON’T
- Engage with the caller in any way.
- Take any instruction to click on a url.
It’s the same with handling cash in your business. Good cash handling procedures are about more than protecting your business from theft. Check out our guide to handling cash.
