A Scammer Is Imitating Your Business Online. What Can You Do? [Video]

The Federal Trade Commission received more than 330,000 reports of scammers impersonating businesses in 2023.

Some of these scammers pretend to be major corporations like Amazon or Best Buy, the FTC says. But small businesses are at risk too, says Scott Taber, a cybersecurity awareness program specialist at the Michigan Small Business Development Center.

“There’s always been this idea that small businesses are too small. But we know that’s not true — that cyber criminals specifically target small businesses because of that fact,” Taber says. “Small businesses typically don’t have the same resources as the larger organizations.”

You can take steps to protect your business from fraudsters even without a dedicated risk or security team. Here are some simple ways to spot and address imitation scams.

How to find out if you’re being imitated

Take a half-hour each day to perform “online hygiene” by searching for information about your business, suggests Melanie McGovern, director of public relations and …