We recently met with Cyber Crime Protect officers from South Wales Police to understand how Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs) work with businesses to promote the reduction of cybercrime.
TARIAN is the ROCU for South Wales, and it was interesting to hear how they, and their counterparts around the UK, regularly work with small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as charities and local government in raising awareness of the threat of cybercrime.
80% of cybercrime is preventable by taking simple steps to secure your cyber security. Falling victim to cybercrime can be devastating for your business.
Small, or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up 99.9% of Britain's 5.5 million private sector businesses, and there’s a 50% chance of these experiencing a cyber-security breach. This represents a real threat to the UK economy.
5 easy steps to protect your company
The ROCUs have a direct link to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and the NCSC has produced a cyber security guide for small businesses. The NCSC guide suggests taking 5 easy steps to protect yourself, which include:
- backing up your data
- protecting your organisation from malware
- keeping smartphones and tablets safe
- using passwords to protect data
- avoiding phishing attacks
Improving your cyber security
If you want or need to improve your cyber security you can seek certification under the Cyber Essentials scheme, which has the benefit of demonstrating to your clients (or prospective clients) you take the protection of their data seriously. And if you're a larger business (or face a greater risk from cybercrime) then the 10 Steps to Cyber Security can further aid your approach to cyber security.
If you're a victim of cybercrime it is important to report it to the police. Cybercrime is not undetectable, and there are numerous cases across the UK where law enforcement have successfully prosecuted cyber criminals. The reporting mechanism in the UK is through Action Fraud which you can contact at: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20180405142747/https://actionfraud.police.uk/ or 0300 1232040.
Reporting known fraud and scams
It’s important to remember the Companies House website also offers some advice on reporting fraud and known scams. Scams we’re aware of include bogus requests for late filing penalties, bogus email requests to verify a Companies House password.
Protect your company from corporate identity theft with our protected online filing (PROOF) scheme. It’s free, and it’s easy. It prevents the filing of certain types of paper forms including changes to your registered office address or director details.
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