Ways To Prevent False Accounting Scandals

Since the advance of modern-day technology, scams and frauds have become a very common practice for scammers to obtain private and confidential information from vulnerable victims. Scammers use a large variety of different techniques to appear genuine and professional, to make it hard to differentiate a scam from an authentic phone call or email. Below are our top tips and advice to help prevent you from falling into an accounting scam.

Accountant

Our #1 tip would definitely be to have an accountant deal with all your accounting needs. A qualified accountant who had spent many years in the sector would be fully aware of all the different methods scammers use, and would easily be able to identify them. An accountant would be informed of all your deadlines and the different areas which would need to be submitted. Therefore, if you feel that you have received a call or email from a scammer, you would be able to confirm with your accountant. Many accounting scams happen to individuals without accountants, as their knowledge in accounting would be very limited, and could be easily convinced that what the scammer has said is true. If having an accountant is something that you like the sound of, why not check out all our services here https://alanpatient.com/services/ or get in touch with us on 020 8532 9843 for a free no-obligation quote.

Avoid Clicking Any Links

At Alan Patient & Co, we take pride in making sure that all our clients are aware of any emails or calls that they will be receiving, therefore all our clients would know what to expect. Any calls or emails that you receive regarding private information regarding your accounting could possibly be a scam, so we would recommend avoiding clicking any links or giving any details that are asked for.

Text Scams

Many scammers pose as an HMRC Employee saying that you are eligible for a text refund as you have paid too much tax this year. HMRC will never notify you via text. If you receive HMRC related text messages, ignore and delete them immediately to avoid any confusion. For more information on how to spot HMRC related scams, head over to 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.

Suggestions

Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done to prevent scams and frauds from taking place. However, there are a couple of things that can be done to reduce the chances of accidentally falling into a scam:

• Make sure you have 2 step verifications in place, therefore if a scammer does trick you into giving your credentials, they would not be able to go any further without a code that only YOU would know.
• Make sure you are aware of all payments leaving your accounts (business and personal)
• If multiple members of your business have access to sensitive information, restrict and monitor very closely