Notaries warn their clients against hasty reactions to the offers made and point out these dubious business practices. If there is any uncertainty about an invoice from the commercial register, it is advisable to consult a notary. This can save you from making expensive mistakes.
Online traps can effect the family or colleagues around you if they use or interact with your business or tech related to your business
In the age of the Internet, scammers have adapted to our online behavior. So-called phishing e-mails that look as if they came e.g. B. from Amazon or eBay, sometimes contain attachments that inject a virus onto the computer as soon as you download them. Just take a quick look at the attached invoice and you have a Trojan horse or something similar. This can then spy out data or lock your own files so that you can no longer open them.
In order to regain access to your files, the fraudsters often charge high sums. If you take legal action against it, it often takes a long time and your data cannot always be saved. Always log into the original websites and look at your orders etc. there, e-mail attachments are not always secure.
But even visiting websites you know is not 100% safe. When it comes to online banking, in particular: keep your eyes open! Like emails, these pages can be completely forged and appear completely inconspicuous to you. You log in with your sensitive access data and land directly on the fraudsters' side. If you then make a transfer and confirm the whole thing with a TAN number, the fraudsters have everything they need to empty your account. It is important to protect your computer as best you can with appropriate programs.
Most viruses and Trojans can be tracked down and rendered harmless. For the loss of data or money through phishing, there are also insurance policies that cover damage up to a certain amount. You should exercise a little more caution if someone else is handling your mail and may even have the authority to make transfers for your company. Instruct your employees to carefully check incoming mail and not simply pay bills just because an urgent deadline has been specified or even a reminder has been issued.
Only when they are absolutely sure should your employees give out data and make payments. We have talked in depth about phishing and other scams previously on the blog.
Often a look on the Internet is enough to find other victims of the same scams. So whenever there is uncertainty: better to check again than to lose money that you won't see again soon. Ultimately, in many cases, common sense will help you to notice that something is wrong. Don't open anything in a hurry or make transfers when you're stressed. Do not allow yourself to be put under pressure by alleged deadlines or other threatening consequences and always do everything calmly and carefully. Otherwise, it will cost you a lot more time afterwards, a lot of nerves - and sometimes even money.
Fake invoices: the lowdown on the dirty
This is the most common scam, as mentioned, so we are mentioning it again. It is important to note these scams can be represented as insurance businesses, representatives of known companies or government agencies or similar. The forgeries can hardly be distinguished from official, official letters and usually contain these features:
- File number
- State coat of arms
- Official cash register
- Document numbers
- Misleading sender/ company name (based on the word commercial register)
- Descriptions in the subject line referring to publication or change in the industrial or commercial register
- Layout: Print on paper typical of the authorities in the typical font
Check these characteristics carefully
Invoice amount: The entry in the commercial register of a UG or GmbH (cash formation) is 150 euros . In rare cases, there are also small administration fees. Fraudsters charge very different sums, but some exactly this amount of 150 euros in order to generate as little suspicion as possible.
The beneficiary of the transfer: The judicial coffers of the federal state or a similar public coffers should be noted here - but never a private company!
The small print: Especially brazen fraudsters try to lure founders into a subscription trap. In other words, with payment of the invoice, you conclude a contract that obliges you to pay monthly contributions.
Deadlines and late payment fees: The payment deadline for fake invoices is usually between three and seven working days. It is not uncommon for late fees to be threatened in order to get the recipient to transfer quickly. The usual term of payment for the official invoice should be 14 days.
Often the fraud letter arrives even before the official invoice from the district court so that entrepreneurs transfer the amount in anticipation of an official invoice without further examination.