Alongside all of the harm the COVID-19 pandemic has caused to our family, friends, and businesses, the unfortunate truth is that hackers and scammers are profiting off of the chaos. From data breaches of government sites, to hacks against the healthcare industry, to COVID-related phishing themes, consumers have reported over $98 million lost in COVID-19 scams since January. What is not included in that number, however, is the dramatic increase in COVID-related ID theft against businesses.
Business ID theft is not a new problem. Dun and Bradstreet, a data analytics company that handles credit checks for many businesses, reported a 100% increase in ID theft against businesses in 2019. This year, however, the problem has grown out of control, with a stunning 258% spike in business identity theft since the beginning of 2020. This is in large part directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic, because scammers will steal business information to illegally gain access to relief funds and loans.
According to reports, there are groups of cyber scammers that target small businesses for ID theft throughout the United States. The groups will start by looking up business records through the Secretary of State website, identity the officers and owners connect to the company, then find corresponding tax ID and social security numbers on the dark web. These groups will then forge official documents with this information and submit them to the Secretary of State with a mailing address that they control. Traditionally, they will use these documents to update profiles on credit monitoring sites, like Dun and Bradstreet, and apply for credit lines with companies like Staples, Home Depot and Office Depot. Now, however, these groups have switched their tactics and are carrying out business ID thefts for COVID-related federal assistance, such as unemployment payments or relief loans for small businesses.
As we’ve wrote about before, hackers and scammers will often take advantage if times of crisis, confusion, and uncertainty in order to make money or seed further chaos. Given the dramatic rise of business ID theft throughout the COVID pandemic, small businesses should take steps to protect themself against this threat. The most effective way to detect and prevent ID theft is to regularly monitor and update your business information. This includes keeping an eye on your financial records and credit lines to spot potential fraudulent activity, as well as checking your business records with the federal and state government. If you spot a any changes your records that you don’t recognize, it’s a likely sign someone is in the process of stealing your business’ identity.
It can be hard to regularly monitor your records and stay vigilant when you are trying to keep your business afloat throughout the pandemic, but this is exactly what scammers are hoping for. You don’t need to be checking your credit report every single day, but it is essential to keep as close an eye as possible on your records to ensure you and your business are protected from fraud.