WARRNAMBOOL’S chief detective said businesses could put simple checks in place to avoid being a scam victim.
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Detective Sergeant Andrew Raven, of the Warrnambool police crime investigation unit, made the comment after a number of city businesses were targeted, highlighted by Emmanuel College being the victim of a $480,000 fraud.
"Businesses need to ensure sufficient workplace training is conducted for all employees to avoid becoming a scam victim," he said.
"Ensure your staff are aware of this email bank account change scam and understand how it works, so they can identify it, avoid it and report it to police.
"And also consider a multi-person approval process for transactions over a certain dollar threshold. "
Detective Sergeant Raven said everyone should double check all email addresses, as scammers can create a new account which is very close to the real one.
"But, if you look closely you can usually spot the fake," he said.
"Do not seek verification via email as you may be simply responding to the scammer’s email or scammers may have the capacity to intercept the email.”
The detective said if you think a request is suspicious, telephone the business to seek verification of the email’s authenticity.
"Do not call any telephone number listed in the email, instead use contact details that you already have on file for that business, or that you have sourced independently, such as from a telephone directory," he said.
"Do not pay, give out or clarify any information about your business until you have looked into the matter further."
Detective Sergeant Raven also advised businesses to check their IT systems for viruses or malware.
"And also always keep your computer security up-to-date with anti-virus and anti-spyware software," he said
.