Stay Vigilant: Rising Scams Targeting Small Businesses in Australia

Bruce Billson, the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman is sending a crucial alert to small business owners. With a noticeable increase in scams involving business and government agency impersonation, Billson emphasises the importance of heightened vigilance. His warning coincides with Scam Awareness Week, reminding business owners to verify their security measures.

Billson highlights the varied nature of scams, ranging from sophisticated hacking to simple credit card fraud. He advises against sharing sensitive information like myGov login details and urges using only registered tax agents. The Ombudsman notes that three-quarters of scam reports involve deceitful trust exploitation and warns that such scams can severely harm a business’s finances, reputation, and customer trust.

Particularly troubling are scams related to website design and search engine optimisation, where scammers make recurring unauthorised charges. Billson suggests spending time to verify the legitimacy of service providers, checking their ABN and business names, and being wary of businesses without physical addresses or using another legitimate business’s ABN.

For assistance or to report a scam, Billson directs businesses to the National Anti-Scam Centre’s ‘Report a Scam‘ page or the website.