Cybercrime is a huge area of concern across all types of business in recent years, we only have to look at the likes of TalkTalk, British Airways & Facebook to see how even the larger companies can fall victim to cybercrime. It is estimated that the amount of attacks have grown by 60% in the last 2 years. To highlight this growing trend, Norfolk County Council have launched a Scams Awareness Campaign, taking place during June 2019. This year's theme is to ensure that people "stop, report, talk" if they think they're being targeted by a scam.
Law firms are a growing sector that are at risk of being vulnerable due to the amount of sensitive data being held, at Clapham and Collinge we regularly review our security and data handling processes whilst also making sure we are fully compliant with GDPR regulations. From an IT security stance, we run multiple solutions to keep our staff and client information safe as well as running regular staff updates and internal training, so we all know the signs to look out for. Some of our security solutions are provided by internationally renowned businesses giving us cutting edge protection and access to a wealth of security specialists.
Jamie Pearson, IT Manager said "As we continually look to improve our systems, we are in the process of obtaining our Cyber Essentials and GDPR accreditation's to give our clients even more peace of mind that their data is safe in our hands. Of course, security and awareness is applicable to all and we highly recommend our clients keep up to date on scams and how to protect themselves and their computers."
A few key tips for staying safe online include:
- Making sure you install any operating system updates and keep your anti-virus product up to date.
- Keep your passwords unique and if two factor authentication is available, enable it.
- Backup your important files, either to an external hard drive (which is unplugged from the pc when not in use) or via a trustworthy cloud service i.e. dropbox or one drive.
- If you receive any emails you are unsure of or the offer seems to good to be true, it generally is – delete!
- Don't click links from within an email, go directly to the website.
- A good example of this is the TV licence renewal scam. A recent scam email was sent out to thousands of people telling them their TV licence had expired, with a link in the email to renew. The link went to a scam website designed to collect personal details including bank account & credit card details. If the recipients of this email had ignored the link within the email and instead went directly to the TV licensing website the scam would instantly fail.
- Keep an eye out for https & the padlock symbol in the website browser. Https means the traffic between you and the website is secured, it's not always a sure sign the website is trustworthy but it's certainly a good start.
- If you are transferring money always make a phone call to the company to verify the details, make sure the number you call is on the company's official website, don't trust contact numbers within an email.
In conjunction with Home Instead Senior Care Norwich, we are holding a free-to-attend Scam Awareness Workshop for older people, family members, carers and people in our community, who may be vulnerable themselves, or know people who may be a target for scammers both online and offline. Louis Hilldrup-Boorman, Marketing Manager said "To support our clients and promote cyber security we are delighted to hold a lunchtime workshop on fraud and scam awareness. The growing incidents of scams involving older people are putting many at risk, so we are proud to support our local community by raising awareness of scams and provide helpful guidance on how to avoid them.''
For more details on our Fraud & Scam Awareness Workshop taking place on Wednesday 25th September please see our event webpage or contact Louis Hilldrup-Boorman on 01603 693579 or email lhb@clapham-collinge.co.uk
*This article is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or other professional advice.
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