Every business has a weak link. And that weakness is what gives scammers and fraudsters the advantage to attack your business. Criminals these days are also learning to adapt to the changes and technological advancements integrated into businesses. So what should you do to protect your business?
There are certain things that you can do to ensure that your business is safe from criminals. Here are some techniques you can use to safeguard your business against evildoers.
Separate Employee Tasks
Banking and financing tasks should be divided into at least two people. Do not let one employee have the power to sign checks and approve payments at the same time. For example, businesses should have one person approve payment and another one sign the checks.
By doing this, there will be more people involved in handling money and making financial transactions. Separating tasks will reduce the chance of theft and employees taking money from bank accounts unsupervised.
Protect Your Bank Accounts
Ensure that your bank accounts are secured. If you are still using your personal bank account to make transactions, it’s time to create separate accounts. You only allow hackers to have more access to your finances if all of your money is placed in one account. By separating your personal and business accounts, you are reducing the risk of account hacking.
Furthermore, monitor your employees’ business expenses and make sure to stick to the process. Some companies give their employees credit cards, so it’s vital to provide fraud protection all the time. For instance, set automatic alerts if employees are spending too much.
Secure Your Office or Shop
Business tools and equipment are assets, too, so you have to keep them safe all the time. Hire security personnel that will lock the office or your business after work hours. For small businesses, installing metal grills is highly recommended to prevent robbery during wee hours. Don’t worry, as these metal grills won’t affect the aesthetics of your shop. Experts use stainless steel weld finishing systems like TIG Brush™ to ensure that metals look flawless after welding them.
Provide Fraud Training for Employees
Training will always be essential for better employee management. Hire an expert about scams and fraudulent actions and allow them to discuss these things with your employees. This training will only take up one and a half hours and will be beneficial as it will tackle important matters on preventing and spotting scams in the business.
Conduct Regular Audits
Make auditing a year-end plan of the company. Internal and external auditing will help you discover fraudulent activities and determine where they come from. All companies should consider conducting regular audits to ensure that everything is in place.
Protect Computer Systems
Hackers these days are excellent at hacking computer systems. Protect your data by using a reliable firewall and antivirus software to stop breaches as early as possible.
Make sure that your employees’ passwords are unique and hard to decipher. If possible, ask your employees to change their passwords every three months for an extra layer of protection. Have someone from the IT department help employees create strong passwords.
Also, make sure to back up your files weekly and have them adequately stored offsite. If something happens to the system, you can retrieve critical data and files without any problems.
Using Data Analytics to Spot Scams
Thanks to adaptive behavioral analytics, business owners can now spot scammers early on. The program can determine if a worker is engaging in fraudulent activities through its analyzed data. It will determine if a person is spending too much money and their activities on the computer.
Conduct an Employee Background Check
Before hiring employees, it’s vital to find people you can trust. Indeed, they must be qualified for the position they’re applying for, but they also have to be trustworthy. Do not solely rely on their work history and references, do a complete background check for
You might find this extra work a bit time-consuming. However, you can hire external services to do the job for you. However, you might need to ask for approval from the applicant to run the background check.
Be Insured
Having business insurance is a great thing to consider too! While there may be plenty of safety precautions, none of it will ever be enough. Fraudulent attacks can still happen, and the best way to protect your business is by having insurance.
Your company is the fruit of your labor, and making it vulnerable to criminal attacks will put all your efforts to waste. By following these tips, you’re giving your business a more comprehensive range of protection. Scammers and cybercriminals always find a way to attack unsuspecting business owners, so it’s essential to be prepared.