As a business owner, you may receive notices in the mail or e-mail inbox that look to be valid, but are not. Sometimes these are just solicitations to get you to spend unnecessary monies on things you think you need, but other times they can be more sinister. Be aware of what you truly need to be paying for, and watch out for criminals who want to defraud you. I’ve seen fliers for advertising (yellow pages online listings, domain name registrations, employment posters). Now some of these things you really do need (employment posters, DBA filings) but you don’t have to pay the fees listed on the solicitations as the fees are much higher than if you did it yourself through the actual agency.
I’ve also received e-mails supposedly from the IRS, post office, and Better Business Bureau all stating information to scare me into opening the attachment or link within the e-mail. Even Paypal, Ebay, and other sites supposedly have sent me messages. The IRS contacts you in writing if there is an issue with your account, and so do most other agencies.
If you receive any of these types of notices, make sure they are valid. Don’t click a link or attachment as most likely it is going to infect your computer with a virus. Please be aware that these types of notices often appear soon after you’ve browsed to certain sites. It therefore seems legitimate.
If you aren’t sure if a message you have received is valid, go directly to the website or contact them by phone. Many also have e-mail addresses you can forward the message to in order to confirm the validity (spoof@paypal.com, phishing@irs.gov).
Protect yourself and your computer. Verify that the notices are valid before proceeding to any site. You’ll be glad you did.