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With the ongoing Coronavirus crisis weighing on all business owners’ minds, many scammers are taking advantage of the delicate and confusing situation. 

Whether it’s a text, tweet or email, scammers are searching for an opportunity to mislead you and, as an ethical IT company, we are here to support you and offer our expert advice.

What to look out for:

• Many forms of communication will contain facts, which would convince you it’s a genuine message
• A text or email may appear to come from a trusted source, such as the NHS
• Website links – these often take you to a fake website

What should I do if I receive one of these messages?

• Treat emails and texts with caution – don’t rush into opening a message you have suspicions about
• Check who has sent the email – you can expand the address bar to show the full email address, it will most likely not be from the organisation it’s claiming to be
• Do not click on any links – these links will most likely take you to an unsecure website and may ask you to fill in personal and confidential information which the scammers can use. We would strongly advise you not to open any links you’re unsure of
• If they are asking for money, it’s probably a scam – you are most likely to receive an SMS text message asking for money. Examples include asking for a donation or issuing you with a fine because you’ve visited the local supermarket too many times in one week.

We’re afraid that the majority of us will receive at least one form of communication from a scammer, and there isn’t a concrete way to avoid being targeted, but you can take action to prevent falling into a trap.

• Sit back, take a breath and re-read the message – is it really from the source it claims to be from? Can you trust the links? If you answer no to both of these questions, delete the message.
• Research – if you’re unsure, do a bit of research on the organisation’s official website. Perhaps drop them a direct message over their social media channels or give them a call to check if the email / text is real.
• If you’re unsure do not click on any links

We hope this helps you to protect yourself against the scams out there but if you do have any questions please don’t hesitate to give the Concept IT team a call on 01207 234637.