Understanding selection.
WHAT MAKES A BUSINESS ATTRACTIVE
Visible online, with named staff and email addresses Predictable payment patterns Staff who can authorise payments No verification procedure
WHAT SIZE THEY TARGET
Any. Small businesses are targeted heavily because controls are weaker.
WHERE THEY GET INFORMATION
Your website, listing staff and roles Social media Compromised email, theirs or yours Public records
WHAT THEY LOOK FOR
Who pays invoices Who can be impersonated When you are busy or absent
THE TIMING POINT
Attempts frequently arrive when a key person is travelling or unavailable.
That is not coincidence.
WHAT REDUCES YOUR EXPOSURE
Not publishing more staff detail than necessary Having a verification procedure regardless of who asks Not being pressured by urgency
WHAT NOT TO DO
Assume you are too small to be targeted.
Automated and opportunistic attempts reach every business.