As we fast move forward into 2023, protecting your assets from online fraud is becoming ever more important. With digital scammers using advanced technology and with easy access to people through channels such as social media, attempted fraud is something both individuals and businesses need to be vigilant against.
From email scams to corporate data theft, online fraud comes in many different forms, so how should you look to protect your personal or business assets this year?
Personal online fraud prevention
The majority of people will be aware of the everyday steps you can take to protect your assets, change your passwords regularly, don’t share personal information online with people you do not know and don’t open suspicious emails. However, there are other options to consider if you’re worried about your online security. Here are our top recommendations to prevent online fraud.
- Install two-factor authentication. This is now offered as standard by banks, businesses, social media giants and online platforms to help protect your monetary assets and prevent online identity fraud. We would always recommend using this as a step to protect yourself against criminals who may already have some of your personal data or are looking to gain access to your accounts to steal information.
- Double and triple check text messages and emails and verify phone callers. Although most people will be wise to anything that seems suspicious, text messages from ‘friends’ and ‘relatives’ from different numbers purporting to be in trouble can pull on the heartstrings and make even the most savvy person question if it is a scam. Similarly, phone calls threatening to cut off one of your services or saying there has been an issue with your account can make you panic – which is why they are such popular scams with criminals. Always, try and verify the source, even just taking two minutes out of your day to ring a loved one or ask for proof someone is calling from the business they say they are can save you from assets and identify theft.
- Review your social media settings. Privacy is key to protecting yourself online, which is why we would always recommend checking what data is visible on your social media. With the many updates that are released, it can sometimes be hard to keep track of when you need to make changes. Regularly review what information is visible and to whom, which can help fraudsters from getting your email and phone numbers or any photos or personal information you have put online.
- Hire a private investigator to conduct a risk assessment. Private investigators do not simply investigate missing persons or infidelity cases, most are qualified to offer a risk management service. They can assess your current home network security, perform online checks to look for your information and possible data breaches, and run background checks on dates, online acquaintances, and friends.
With social media so prevalent, private investigators can also advise on how to protect your assets whilst online.
Corporate online fraud prevention
Protecting your business assets from online fraud should be a top priority for businesses in 2023. Online security should be considered as part of any risk and compliance strategy, especially with the increasing legislation around data protection, as any loss of data assets could result in heavy financial and reputation penalties. So, what are the best practices for business in regards to protecting your assets?
- Keep data encryption and two-factor authentication processes up to date. By regularly reviewing your internal processes and procedures, you can stay on top of all the latest security updates and encryption technologies designed to protect your assets and in doing so, identify any areas of concern. This is especially important if you have an online business that accepts payments as you need to be fully compliant with PCI Data Security Standards.
- Make use of automated technology and software. If you are a larger enterprise with a content management system, choosing one with permission-based access control can give you more control over who can use or make changes. We would also recommend implementing software that has monitoring and audit capabilities as well as e-signature integration to boost your online security.
- Electronic Surveillance and monitoring of computer activity. One of the most common threats to business is the fact that our employees are human. This means that mistakes can be made, which is why business device monitoring can provide enhanced digital security by flagging up any suspicious activity or employee actions on your business network and company devices.
- Consider hiring a private investigator to conduct a risk assessment. Hiring a private investigator can be a cost-effective solution for businesses wanting to improve their security, protect their assets and prevent instances of fraud. Using technology to monitor a range of media and with legal access to video and audio recordings, corporate phone call records and computer activity, as well as reviewing documents and internal audit controls, private investigators can help assess any weaknesses where security breaches are likely to happen and provide recommendations on how best to protect your business. Risk assessments can form part of a wider strategy by private investigators to help protect your business from online fraud.
As well as performing weakness assessments for your corporate security, private investigators can also use vehicle tracking devices to electronically track the location of one or more vehicles as part of a package of preventative measures.
This may include use of surveillance services, which can not only help prevent issues from occurring in the first place, but if you have instances of wrongdoing, surveillance can provide the evidence needed to support any action.
Background checks are a key preventative measure when it comes to fraud, and private investigative firms such as here OpSec Solutions, offer thorough employee background checks to ensure anyone you hire is unlikely to cause damage to your business.
Private investigators can offer security solutions such as installing security systems and alerts for round the clock protection as standard, allowing you to quickly take steps to protect your assets if needed.
Protecting your assets with OpSec Solutions
As the world moves online, risk assessment services such as the ones provided by OpSec solutions, can identify areas of vulnerability, and provide the framework to help protect homes and businesses and manage, mitigate, and eliminate any threats.
Our highly trained experts also understand that preventing fraud is a better solution than investigating after the fact, which is why we take a proactive approach to protect your home network, organisation, information, identity, and assets. Our fraud prevention strategies are hugely successful in preventing cybercrime and data breaches before they happen. If you are looking to protect your assets, either on a personal or corporate level, then please get in touch with us today. You can use our contact us form on the website or call 0844 6641125 or email [email protected].