FRAUD WARNING TO THE SOUTH EAST: Is that really your boss on video call?

06 Apr FRAUD WARNING TO THE SOUTH EAST: Is that really your boss on video call?

A clever new fraud is being targeted at staff – where criminals impersonate their boss on a video call to steal from the business’s bank account.

Local cyber security expert Nick Haley of Little Big Tech in Oxted says it’s too easy for staff to be fooled.

“Imagine you were on a video call with your boss. That’s an every day situation right now,” he said.

“But your boss claims their audio and video isn’t working properly. There’s just a still picture of them displayed.”

“Instead they are messaging you via the chat function, saying how frustrated they are with technology! They throw a few urgent tasks at you, including asking you to pay an urgent invoice from a new supplier. It’s a very feasible situation and many people would just pay.”

But in that scenario, it’s not the boss at all and there’s no new supplier. It’s a cyber-criminal, who has got access to the boss’s email account and set up the whole thing. The funds are going in to their bank account.

“Just by breaching the boss’s email account, they can send emails to set up video calls and reset the password for the video call platform, ” Nick added.

“Moving the conversation on to a video platform is very smart. Psychologically, most people would believe it was their boss who was connected. And AV issues can be common on calls.”

Nick says the best defence against this is to stop hackers from getting into email in the first place. That means using long, random passwords, a password manager to remember them, and multi factor authentication – where you generate a login code on a separate device.

Regular staff training can also help staff have the confidence to challenge the person they’re speaking to if something doesn’t feel right.

Little Big Tech was formed in 2021 and specialises in supporting local business in the South East. There is a password generator which can be found on their website www.littlebigtech.co.uk/password-generator.

If you want to talk through any security or other IT issues you may be experiencing, book in a quick call on the website, or telephone us on 03333 055331.

Nick Haley is available for further information and interview at info@littlebigtech.co.uk.