How to Avoid Fraud

Avoid Fraud - Complete Controller

The most common type of fraud is identity theft fraud. It is so common that many people become a victim of it without realizing it until it is too late to save them from difficulties. Here are different types of fraud specific to identity theft and how to remedy them. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Buyer Fraud

Most often, buyers are scammed. In most cases, goods are paid for that are then not received. The following points must be observed to avoid being cheated:

Do not pay by bank transfer. If the seller does not ship the item, you have no legal control. Even if you file a complaint, in most cases, the money is lost.

Pay via PayPal with buyer protection. If it is impossible to pick up the item personally, you can also pay via PayPal with buyer protection even if you pick up the item. In the event of a dispute, the seller must prove that the item has been shipped if he can’t prove that, you’ll get your money back.

Seller Fraud

Even as a seller, you can be cheated by the buyer, which is a little more difficult.

Goods were paid for by PayPal but picked up personally. If the buyer has paid via PayPal and then picked up the item personally, there is no way for you as the buyer to prove to PayPal that you have properly handed over the item. When paying via PayPal, never hand over the article directly but always send it by post with appropriate evidence.

Since human error is responsible for security breaches, no company can afford to ignore the importance of educating employees about dangers online. Here is what you can do to avoid fraud in general. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Create an email address for questions

Having an email address that employees can contact questions about cybersecurity is a great start and has many other benefits. On the one hand, employees dare to ask questions that they might not otherwise ask.

Also, employers give their employees the option to forward suspicious emails for inspection. It helps employees become more astute about fraudulent emails. The forwarded mails can then also be used for internal training and thus enrich the knowledge of all employees and thus the company as a whole.

Set up an early warning system

It is worth introducing a dynamic and proactive early warning process that informs the entire company about this danger to counteract dangerous spam campaigns. It reduces the chance that an ignorant colleague will fall into this trap and endanger a company’s security, employee, and customer data.

Also, this system increases awareness of some of the most important threats and most widely used techniques that cybercriminals use – even if they turn out to be tried and tested methods. Last but not least, this process encourages the security team to take a closer look at spam campaigns and identify features.

Organize round tables and training

Discussions with experts, either with qualified employees or with external specialists, help educate employees about various aspects of IT security. Since large companies hire professionals from many different areas, it is advisable to organize separate roundtables that address these target groups’ specific skills, interests, and experiences.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so it is never a disadvantage to using images in these training courses, thus increasing audience participation. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers

Organize competitions

Everyone likes to compete – and win, don’t they? Competitions among employees are a fun way to establish strong, internet-safe behaviors. For example, the materials from the training courses can be used for a later quiz. In the end, the winner is rewarded, but the whole company gets an impression of how cyber-secure the other colleagues are.

Write a good guide

Prepare a document that explains precise methods of how employees can help prevent cyberattacks. Such a guide could, for example, contain information on how to set up devices securely, how information is encrypted or how to set up two-factor authentication on different devices. It is also important to ensure that these aids are easy to read, contain the most important information, and are easily accessible to all employees.

Conclusion

Finally, here is a suggestion on how to record all of this information. Place small notes with information on good cyber hygiene for your employees in places where they would not expect them – in office toilets, kitchens, and elevators.

If your employees then find these pieces of paper in unusual places, this increases the learning effect. They can more easily retrieve the information when it is most important – for example if you are the victim of a phishing attack.

 

Check out America's Best Bookkeepers About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity. Check out America's Best Bookkeepers