Scams in Relation to Silicon Valley Bank

by Artie Kaye

After the bank’s closure, many websites have been registered using the acronym “SVB” in their URL.  Some are legitimate sites meant to help those who are affected, others are meant to steal information and money.  Phishing attempts are rolling out quickly as well, coming at the same time as legitimate emails from companies that did business through SVB.  Difficulties can arise with traditional phishing mitigations like checking to make sure the sender is legitimate or making sure the links are to official websites.  If you receive email from any business or entity, the best course of action will be to call them directly. Do not use any phone numbers or email addresses found in the email. Instead, use phone numbers and other contact information you would normally use. If you don’t have them on hand, navigate to the company’s official web site by directly typing the URL in your browser, do not use any web links from the email itself. As always, maintain good cybersecurity hygiene, and if you need help, contact your support team.

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Business Identity Theft

by Artie Kaye

Even without an online presence, information about your business can be found through government searches.  This information can be used to commit Business Identity Theft.  As with personal identity theft, this is someone pretending to be an established business or part of said business to commit fraud.  State and federal agencies have tips regarding how to handle and prevent falling victim to this.  Reviewing records regularly, making sure there are no discrepancies with clients, payments, employees, addresses, etc. are all a big help in catching potential problems.

It can be beneficial to look into what your Secretary of State’s office has to say on the matter.  The IRS also has information on what to do if your company is targeted.

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