Earlier this year, Swan Street Florist held a Barbie-themed giveaway on social media to celebrate the release of the Blockbuster movie. Things were going well until someone cloned the Salamanca, New York flower shop’s Facebook page using the business’s name and profile photo.
The cloned account messaged everyone who commented on the post, telling them they had won, and directing them to a website to input their credit card number in order to receive the package.
“The notifications were going off like crazy,” says Amy Rivera, owner and lead designer, who shared her story in the November/December issue of Floral Management. “People were inboxing us, saying, ‘Did I really win?’”
Swan Street Florist quickly notified their followers that they would never ask for personal information for a giveaway.
As far as Rivera knows, no one fell for the scam. But the experience took a lot of fun out of the giveaway, she says.National Cybersecurity Alliance encourages businesses to keep criminals at bay by taking cybersecurity precautions, such as using password managers and enabling two-factor authentication.
“They’re looking for the most amount of revenue with the least amount of effort, just like the rest of us,” says Lisa Plaggemier, executive director of the alliance. “You just want to make it difficult for them. … If you put enough speedbumps in front of them that it’s too difficult for them to take advantage of you, they’ll move on to another victim.”
To learn more about Plaggemier’s advice, read “Step Up Cyber Security” in the November/December issue of Floral Management.
Amanda Jedlinsky is the managing editor of SAF News Now.
