Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/816243
W EEKLY EDITION APRIL 26, 2017 Scams Affecting Portable Sanitation Business …continued By PSAI Executive Director Karleen Kos Phishing Scams Phishing scams appear to be legitimate e - mails to the viewer, but are fraudulent messages that usually download viruses into the victim's computer when the e - mail is opene d or links within the e - mail are clicked. These viruses capture personal information, such as bank details, Social Security numbers and credit card accounts. Phishing is a huge threat to businesses because of the vast amount of important information stored on computers. To avoid the negative effects of phishing read the e - mail carefully and look out for grammar mistakes and other inconsistencies. Hover your cursor over the links without clicking and you will be able to see the address. Most new Internet br owsers are equipped with anti - fishing software, so be sure that your system is up - to - date and protected. Be especially careful if the email appears to come from your bank, credit card, insurance company, Amazon, or the Better Business Bureau. Scammers fr equently mimic all of these merchants, and they all have legitimate phone numbers to call. Don't call the number in the email. Instead, look up the phone number elsewhere and call the company to determine if they are really contacting you or not. The TTY Scam During a TTY scam, callers can remain anonymous and type messages to an operator, who relays the message to the caller's recipient. This is perfect for scammers, because operators cannot disclose where the call is coming from. The scammer proceeds to request an expensive services from the business, pays with a stolen credit card and requests a check for the large shipping fees that the scammer agrees to pay for in advance. To avoid being taken by this scam, ask the person to verify the card verificat ion code and provide the customer service number that is printed on the back of all credit cards. Inform the caller that you will verify the information with the bank. The Fax - Back Scam This scam can be easy to fall for because all you have to do is fax a paper back. In fax - back scams, an unsolicited fax comes in offering amazing deals and discounts on office supplies, landscaping, directories — just about anything. All the business owner has to do is fax back his or her request to a premium number, which c harges the company a few dollars per minute for a fax that will take a while to go through. If you're interested in the offer listed in an unsolicited fax, research the details. The fax - back premium rate service number is 190. Keep in mind the age - old ada ge, if it's too good to be true, it usually is. Be Diligent According to experts, the key to avoid falling for scams is to be diligent about your paperwork, have a specific procedure for the approval of all customer payment procedures and purchases, and e nsure that everyone who has internet access is fully trained on the proper use of emails and websites. Scam artists know that as a small business owner, you might be too busy to pay attention to details. But paying attention to those details will only hel p your small business and will ensure you don't fall prey to fraudulent activity designed to take your hard - earned money. P AGE 4