Today’s page 1 lead is a cautionary story about the pitfalls of doing business online, whether as a buyer or seller.
A number of small businesses using social media to advertise their wares and generate sales are falling prey to hackers who take over their accounts and then hold these hostage for a ransom, or use them to target the businesses’ customers (their followers) with further scams.
The hacking involves “phishing”, which uses an email, a text message or call to gain information including passwords, one-time PINs and credit card numbers, which are then used to take over social media accounts.
In many instances, the account owner responds in an unguarded moment, and is caught. And there is the first lesson: never let your guard down.
As I wrote here of my own experience a while back, callers are professional and create a sense of urgency, inducing you to act in a hurry, and perhaps in an uncharacteristic manner.
The consequences for small businesses, as those we interviewed show, can be catastrophic.
They lose their marketing avenue and way of doing business, and their followers are then in turn preyed on.
It can take months to reclaim an account, if you are able to do so at all, months which small businesses do not have the luxury of.
Whether business or private, ensure you activate all available security features on your accounts.
And then, as I do since my own experience, treat every call, text and mail from unknown numbers and addresses with suspicion.
A terrible way to live, but the safe way.
The Independent on Saturday