{"id":39202,"date":"2025-07-07T09:28:31","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T09:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/?post_type=knowledge&#038;p=39202"},"modified":"2025-07-07T09:28:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T09:28:32","slug":"scams-target-small-businesses","status":"publish","type":"knowledge","link":"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/management\/scams-target-small-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"Four scams that target small businesses\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cyber attacks and scams are becoming more common as lots of business functions move online. Phishing, fake invoices, and remote access scams are becoming more prevalent.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cifas.org.uk\/newsroom\/gasa-stateofscamsuk2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Global Anti-Scam Alliance\u2019s<\/a> data, \u00a311.4 billion was lost to scams in the last 12 months in the UK. Which is \u00a34 billion more than the year before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And many scams specifically target businesses. Whether fraudsters are pretending to be HMRC, your internet provider, or your bank \u2013 cyber scams are becoming more sophisticated. Find out how to spot them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-four-scams-business-owners-need-to-know-about\">Four scams business owners need to know about<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-phishing-and-spoofing\">1. Phishing and spoofing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Phishing is a type of cyber attack where scammers try to trick you into giving them your personal information (like passwords or bank details). The scammers pretend to be a company or person and typically contact you by email.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spoofing is how the fraudsters disguise their attempts to access your personal information. Scammers can create fake email addresses,\u00a0website URLs, caller IDs, and even IP addresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Phishing scams rely on you not questioning the authenticity of the contact and sharing the information willingingly. And you\u2019ll be unaware you\u2019ve been tricked until something goes wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These scams can take many forms too. Sometimes scammers learn the details of an email in your business and pretend to be a senior figure in the company. This is called a business email compromise (BEC).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is why it\u2019s important to keep your employees informed on the techniques scammers are using.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-hmrc-scams-to-look-out-for-nbsp\">HMRC scams to look out for&nbsp;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Probably the most common scam used to target businesses is when someone pretends to be an official body, like a bank or HMRC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s become common for phishing scammers to pretend to be HMRC. They do this by email or phone and they\u2019ll typically ask for personal and financial information.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s important to remember that HMRC will never ask for these details over the phone or by email. Our guide to understanding whether or not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/business-tax\/hmrc-scam-email\/\" data-type=\"knowledge\" data-id=\"1400\" >contact from HMRC is genuine <\/a>goes into more detail in how to spot a scam.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And HMRC has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/phishing-and-bogus-emails-hm-revenue-and-customs-examples\/phishing-emails-and-bogus-contact-hm-revenue-and-customs-examples\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">examples of phishing scams<\/a> that can give you an idea of what to look out for.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/07\/scam-email_960x640.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/07\/scam-email_960x640.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/07\/scam-email_960x640.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/07\/scam-email_960x640.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/07\/scam-email_960x640.jpg?resize=150,100 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Image from .gov.uk<\/em>, <em>an example of a phishing email<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-invoice-and-billing-scams\">2. Invoice and billing scams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scammers can produce fake invoices to make you pay for something you never bought. The fake contact can be very convincing, sometimes replicating the branding of real suppliers or impersonating real employees from the suppliers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And there\u2019s also instances of businesses being sent products they didn\u2019t order and being sent an inflated invoice. The aim of this is to trick the business owner into paying the higher fee without noticing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s important for business owners to pay close attention to invoices, even if they\u2019re from regular suppliers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-number-of-paypal-scams-increasing-nbsp\">Number of PayPal scams increasing&nbsp;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Invoice and billing scams are becoming more frequent via Paypal. Cyber attacks on PayPal users have increased by 600 per cent so far this year, according to MacAfee Labs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the scams are sophisticated. They can come in the form of an email, phone call, or tax message but they\u2019re usually trying to access your account information.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/retail\/paypal-scam-email\/\" data-type=\"knowledge\" data-id=\"35640\" >PayPal scams<\/a> goes into more detail around how you can protect business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-remote-access-scams\">3. Remote access scams\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A remote access scam is when you unknowingly give a scammer access to your computer and they steal your personal information. This usually happens when you need some technical support and a scammer impersonates someone that can help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For this scam to work, they need to gain remote access to your computer, which means they can find any information that\u2019s stored on your network. This includes any passwords or financial information you\u2019ve saved.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are also examples of scammers pretending to be your internet provider. They\u2019ll typically say they need to download a new piece of software or update something \u2013 then ask for remote access to install it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Requesting remote access to your computer is quite common in tech support, so it\u2019s easy to be tricked. Always act cautiously if someone is requesting remote access to your computer.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-unnecessary-service-scam\">4. Unnecessary service scam\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Being sold an unnecessary product or service is a less obvious scam \u2013&nbsp;but it uses lots of the same techniques as the other scams on this list. Fraudsters impersonate an official orginisation, like a bank or HMRC, and trick you into buying a service you don&#8217;t need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They might claim a new law requires a mandatory registration and fee, or that your business is &#8220;non-compliant&#8221; and you need their help to avoid penalties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The scam is that they\u2019re charging you for something you don\u2019t need. And sometimes the fees can cost thousands of pounds. And most of the time, the product or service isn\u2019t real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Always be skeptical when an official organisation contacts you requesting immediate payment for something. Never pay without going directly to the organisation yourself to verify the claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-azure-200-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-30c80bf8 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:35px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--90);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--90);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--90);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--90);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--90);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--90)\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-five-tips-to-avoid-being-scammed\">Five tips to avoid being scammed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Take Five initiative<\/a>, led by UK Finance, encourages individuals to pause and consider before responding to financial requests. And they encourage everyone to follow these five key rules:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Listen to your instincts if something feels suspicious<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Stay in control and avoid panicked decisions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Never disclose security details like your PIN or full banking password<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Don\u2019t assume the authenticity of emails, texts, or phone calls<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Don\u2019t be rushed by urgent demands, as genuine organisations allow time<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"nba-upsell-001\" class=\"wp-block-group has-azure-200-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-94e519ba wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Ready to set up your cover?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">As one of the UK&#8217;s biggest <a href=\"\/business-insurance\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"5152\" >business insurance<\/a> providers, we specialise in <a href=\"\/business-insurance\/public-liability-insurance\/\">public liability insurance<\/a> and protect more trades than anybody else. Why not take a look now and build a quick, tailored quote?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-a89b3969 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/quote.simplybusiness.co.uk\/business\">Start your quote<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Find out the strategies scammers use to trick business owners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":39205,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"sb_hreflang":"","sb_hreflang_url":"","disable_breadcrumbs":false,"sb_breadcrumbs":[],"sb_reviewed_by":"","sb_review_date":"","sb_enable_content_gating":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[338,110],"hidden-category":[],"coauthors":[23],"class_list":["post-39202","knowledge","type-knowledge","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-management","category-business-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Four scams that target small businesses\u00a0 - Simply Business UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cyber scams are targeting more businesses than ever. 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