Cybercrime is affecting businesses big and small, individuals rich and poor. Cybercriminals don’t care who they are stealing from and it can be as easy as sending an email. In an article from Tech Republic, Microsoft reported a 24% increase in reports of tech support scams in 2017. These scams typically involve tricking a user into paying a scammer to remove fake or non-existent malware. The end goal for this type of scammer is to get someone on the phone with a fake support specialist who convinces them to grant remote access to their machine, so the scammer can trick them into believing they have malware.

“Social Engineering” attacks are a form of digital deception, tricking people into breaking normal security procedures. An example of social engineering is when the scammer will email you from a friend or co-workers email address asking you for your help. Most cyber criminals have been targeting accounting and payroll departments. Most instances only net the attacker a few hundred dollars, but some have managed to clear out entire bank accounts. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent cybercrime from happening to you. Nothing is urgent, slow down and take the time to read. Don’t click on any suspicious links and check the spelling. Never take an email at face value, if you need to send private information or money, follow up with the vendor or employee who made the request via phone. Being suspicious could save you or your company from being victims of cybercrime.