Fraud is so common now – here we look at the main categories, and what you can do to help keep your systems safe and protect from fraud.

Fraud is becoming more widespread, with an estimated 3.6 million fraud cases in 2018 – yet only 276,000 cases were reported to the police.  The estimates show a 12 % increase year on year.

There are 4 main categories for fraud:

• Online shopping, and online auction fraud was the most reported category
• Advance fee fraud is where you are asked to pay upfront and never receive what you’ve paid for
• Computer fixing fraud is most common in Norfolk, nearly double the national average.  What does this say about Norfolk people!
• Cheque, plastic card and online bank fraud is the fourth most popular category.

Increasingly popular is identity fraud, rising fastest for victims who are over 60 and under 21.  The two most likely sources of information to enable a fraudster to use your identity are the internet, and the individual themselves. 

Latest scams that are reported in large numbers include:

• Spoof HMRC phone calls, threatening prosecution because of apparently unpaid tax.  Where there is any unpaid tax, HMRC will initially make contact by letter.
• Talk Talk refunds, with a link to a malicious website
• TV Licensing scam, asking for you to update your bank records to avoid prosecution.  Over 900 cases have been reported with losses to individuals totalling £830,000.
• BT scam offering enhanced security, where you are asked to let a technician log into your computer, which they then take control of, and ask you to log into your bank account.

How to protect from fraud

As more services are online, ensuring your computer is secure is ever more critical.  The police Action Fraud website contains useful information on how to protect yourselves, including the free cybercrime protection service Quad9 and DMARC. 

Quad9 is a free security solution which acts to protect your system against the most common cyber threats, and also improving your system performance and enhancing your privacy.  DMARC is designed to protect your business from email fraud.

The Global Cyber Alliance has developed a CyberSecurity Toolkit specifically designed for small and medium sized businesses.  It offers actionable guidance and tools with clear directions to protect your business from cyber attacks.  If your business isn’t protected – it’s time to act now.

What was your careers advice like at school?  Here we look at the future of work, and what it means for businesses and workers.  Are traditional routes through education the way to go? Are we looking at the need for skills – or degrees?

Back in the 1970s, 5% of the population went to university.  Now it’s more like 50% who gain a degree – but also manage to acquire a significant amount of debt alongside it.  In a fast changing work environment, the question needs asking:  how can degrees give the impression of a lifelong stamp of professional competency whilst rapid technological developments change the way people work anyway?

No-one now expects to have a job for life, and many people are actively rejecting the notion of working for someone else.  More flexible working patterns, increasing numbers of freelancers, and more self-employed, with people often balancing more than one job – all these factors point to the need for workers to be very flexible about how they work. 

Getting a degree now may actually be restricting opportunities later.  Technological advances mean that new jobs and specialties will emerge.  The World Economic Forum found that 65% of children entering primary school will end up in jobs that don’t actually exist at present. 

There is a strong trend which indicates that the future of work may not be about degrees – but rather, it will focus on skills.  Education won’t end with a graduation, but re-skilling throughout one’s working life will become essential if workers want to be relevant. 

Employers can reap the benefits of this flexibility, but will also need to recognise the importance of allowing workers to develop skills within their employment.  We’re looking here at not just upskilling, but re-skilling as technology progresses and disruption spreads. 

Will your business be able to adapt to this fast-changing workplace environment – or be left behind?