BCT News

Businesses across the country, and especially in California, are witnessing a significant uptick in an insidious type of cybercrime known as "CEO Fraud." This scam, often a subset of Business Email Compromise (BEC), involves cybercriminals impersonating company executives to deceive employees, customers, or vendors into transferring funds or sensitive information. This is not only damaging to a company’s finances but can directly impact the reputation and trust of the company’s executive leadership. For a small business, this damage can send ripples out into the community, which are challenging to overcome.

As businesses delve into the open enrollment period, a surge in scam attacks poses a significant threat. These scams, often sophisticated and convincingly deceptive, aim to exploit the complexities and sensitivities of open enrollment processes. In 2023, the landscape of these scams has evolved, demanding heightened vigilance and robust cybersecurity measures.

Social media has evolved into a cornerstone of small business strategy, offering unparalleled opportunities for marketing, customer engagement, and brand building. For many small businesses, platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are not just tools; they are vital arteries that connect them to their customer base and the wider market. However, this dependency on social media comes with a significant caveat: heightened vulnerability to cyber threats.

A new deceptive tactic in phishing scams known as the "Broken Phone Scam," has seen a recent rise in attention, posing significant risks to unsuspecting individuals. This scam, which cleverly manipulates human emotions and trust, involves fraudsters sending text messages to victims, pretending to be a known contact, such as a family member or friend, who has damaged their phone and urgently needs financial assistance.

STEM careers are the cornerstones of innovation and progress, shaping our present and sculpting our future. Join BCT Consulting, powered by Xobee Networks in celebrating innovation and opportunity in these fields, this November 15th, from 11 AM to 2 PM PT. As a leader in the technology sector, Xobee Networks is excited to participate in the Clovis Community College STEM Career Fair. This event symbolizes more than just a meeting of minds; it's a beacon of opportunity for both the current and upcoming generations.

Our planet has been witnessing a dramatic shift in the pattern and intensity of natural disasters. Reports from leading scientific communities around the globe indicate that Earth’s climate is entering a phase of “uncharted territory” and the future is to be unlike anything we've experienced before. This new era, marked by unexpected and severe natural disasters, poses a significant threat not only to our physical world but also to the digital realm that underpins modern businesses.

Recent scam attacks have seen a surge in popularity, and even the most savvy and mindful of security-conscious companies are falling prey to it: Email Reply Chain Attacks. This method of cyber assault has gained notoriety for its cunning use of hijacked legitimate email conversations to spread malware or phishing links.

ChatGPT has gained global recognition as a prominent tool, providing AI-powered conversational services to a vast audience. However, its widespread adoption has also attracted the attention of cybercriminals who are exploiting the chatbot’s popularity to deceive unwary individuals.

A disturbing new trend is on the rise, where scammers are using AI to similar a desperate child begging their parent for help. The result has left victims giving away personal and/or financial information to the scammer, believing it to be their child. Scammers can clone the voices of individuals through AI technology, by using just a few clips of audio taken from their social media accounts.