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 Scams don’t always look obvious anymore. The spelling is clean, the logo is right and the voice on the phone might sound like someone you know.
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a good excuse to slow down and check the habits that keep your business safe.
 
Check Before You Click
A glance at an email used to be enough to catch a scam, with misspelled words, funny email addresses, and incorrect logos. Not anymore. Email scams are more sophisticated, and now it takes an actual read and asking whether something’s rushing you to act before you’ve had time to think.
Before paying a new or unfamiliar invoice, confirm the company is real. Any request to change bank details is a reason to call first using a number from your own records, never the one in the new message.
 
Two Steps to Better Security
A password used to be enough to keep your accounts secure. It isn’t anymore, and most accounts now offer at least one more layer of security for free.

• Give every employee their own login instead of sharing one account. That keeps the business protected if one account is compromised or someone leaves.
• Write down every door, gate, alarm and lockbox that uses an access code, not the codes themselves. If an employee leaves on bad terms, you’ll know what to change.

 
Hearing Isn’t Believing Anymore
AI has made scammers more convincing, with the Federal Trade Commission warning that a voice can be cloned with AI from a short clip of audio, and a face can be faked on a video call. Hang up and call your loved one directly to verify the person before you react to the story.

• Don’t send a payment based on one phone call, no matter who it sounds like.
• Have a second person confirm it, in person or by calling a number already in your records.
• Post the rule somewhere your team can see it on every phone.

 
Update Now for Safety Later
Updates close doors criminals already know how to open. Back up anything you couldn’t stand to lose before you install an update.

• Keep registers and office computers updated. Those are the machines criminals scan for first.
• Back up your documents automatically, then restore one file to prove the backup works.
• The FTC Recommends putting customer Wi-Fi on a separate network from the one that runs your business.

None of this takes long. Check the sender, double up on your logins, verify the voice and keep your software current. That’s what staying two steps ahead looks like, this month and every month after it.