Your Small Business Is A Target: 6 Common Scamming Techniques

As a well-informed small business owner, you’ve no doubt by now heard one horror story or another about a small business that received the brunt end of a good-old-fashioned scam. If hearing about it made you triple check all your paperwork and burn all of your junk mail, then you may find a little relief in the fact that most scams fall under one of the following common categories – which makes them easier to spot and avoid.

Directory Scams

While this one sounds cut-and-dried because directories are falling out of vogue, don’t let your guard down just yet. Scammers have sent letters or emails and even called over the phone asking for small business owners to “update” their entry in the Yellow Pages. The first red flag should be if you haven’t signed up for ad space in the YP in the first place.

Of course that’s far from the only way they can scam you via the directory. Sometimes scammers will call and ask your business to pay for ad space or listing services. This sort of scam can go on about as long as you don’t ask too many questions, so if you’re suspicious make sure to do your research.

Overpaying Customer

At first blush this doesn’t sound too uncommon or even really a scam. Be aware though: if a customer overpays with a check or credit card and they ask you to wire the extra back to them, it could very well be a scam. Stay extra cautious as this can even affect sellers on websites like Craigslist and Etsy.

Breaches in Security

No matter how much you defend your assets and put up protection for your company, there can always be a breach. Whether a disgruntled former employee, negligence or even the bogeyman of online data, it’s for the best if you keep all of your software up to date and stay alert for any signs of a company breach.

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