Woman at a laptop glancing over her shoulder with a cautious expression

Most cyberattacks on small businesses don’t start with a sophisticated hack. They start with an email. Phishing messages trick people into clicking a link, opening an attachment, sharing a password or sending money, and they’re getting more convincing every year, especially now that scammers use AI to write polished, error-free messages.

Common Scams Targeting Small Businesses

  • Fake invoices from vendors you may or may not actually use
  • Payment change requests asking you to send money to a “new” bank account
  • Domain and website renewal scams warning that your domain or listing is about to expire
  • Fake login pages for Microsoft 365, Google, your bank or shipping companies
  • Urgent requests from “the boss” asking an employee to buy gift cards or wire funds

Warning Signs

  • Pressure to act immediately
  • A sender address that’s slightly off, or a display name that doesn’t match the actual address
  • Links that go somewhere unexpected when you hover over them
  • Requests to change payment details or share passwords
  • Unexpected attachments, especially invoices or documents you didn’t ask for

How to Protect Your Business

  1. Turn on two-factor authentication for email, banking, your website and any important accounts.
  2. Verify payment changes by phone using a number you already have, never one from the email.
  3. Use a password manager and unique passwords for every account.
  4. Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC on your domain to make it harder for scammers to send email pretending to be you.
  5. Train your team to slow down and ask before clicking. A culture where it’s okay to double-check prevents most losses.
  6. Keep software updated on computers, phones and your website.

If Someone Clicks

Act fast: change the affected password, sign out of other sessions, contact your bank immediately if money was sent, and have your devices and website checked. Speed limits the damage.

Solnet helps businesses secure their websites, email and domains. If you’re worried about phishing or think you’ve been targeted, we can help. Contact Solnet or call (301) 939-0273.