Trumpeting a new job on LinkedIn is an exciting moment in the modern employment market. But it’s one that digital fraudsters are trying to hijack for nefarious means.
Just ask London Agency director John Emmerson. A crafty LinkedIn scam has targeted his healthcare communications business multiple times, with cybercriminals posing as him contacting new employees with a special request.
“Basically, what happens is when a new member of the team joins, they post on LinkedIn something like: ‘Delighted to have joined the London Agency’,” he says.
“And then, without fail, they’ll get a weird email from someone pretending to be me, asking them to go to Officeworks and buy $1000 in Apple vouchers. But they are told to keep it on the down-low. It’s as regular as clockwork now, and we’ve had these cryptic emails sent to about 12 staff members!”
He says the email seems genuine at first glance, asking if the staff member was available for a priority task.
“Clearly what’s happening is they are taking advantage of someone new to a role,” he says.
He has warned his staff of the scam to ensure no one else gets caught out and made it a priority to enrol his team of eight in the online Cyber Wardens course.
Cyber security is particularly important for a business like the London Agency, with clients including hospitals, patient groups, doctors and organisations such as the Diabetes Australia and Heart Foundation.
The healthcare sector is the number one target for data breaches, making up 19 per cent of all notifiable incidents in the first half of 2024, figures from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner show.
John says it’s critical the agency has measures in place to safeguard the sensitive information they are privy to, such as patient medical records.
“Cyber security is a big concern for us, firstly as a small business and secondly as an agency operating in the medical domain… and the interactions we have with patients providing consent to us to access their medical information. We are custodians of that information, and it is something which we are very sensitive to, and are aware that it is a risk.”
The agency works with an IT partner to ensure they maintain robust cyber security systems.
He says the team graduated from the Cyber Wardens Foundations course, and describes it as practical and useful.
“It’s really user-friendly, super practical, and recognises the challenges of small businesses,” he says.
John launched the agency in 2011 and says a regular day could involve building a case for funding a new medicine on behalf of a client, writing policy papers, meeting with government officials and advocating for patients.
He says the stories they work on are endlessly fascinating, from heartwarming medical successes to cutting-edge technologies and life-changing treatments.
“Some of the stories we come across are almost like a Marvel comic book,” he says.
“You might come across someone who has been on a waiting list for a heart transplant… the most valuable commodity there is on this earth. And with the help of innovative medical technology that enables them to keep them alive during that time, we then see them being able to run a marathon. It’s incredible.”He also recalls a man with type 2 diabetes who was scheduled to have his leg amputated, before an intervention with sophisticated limb-saving technology.
“We literally met him on his farm where he was riding a Harley Davidson, which was breathtaking. We often get texts on a Sunday after a funding announcement by the Health Minister, that say things like: ‘This now means we don’t have to get a second mortgage so that Mum can access her cancer treatments’. So, we find that incredibly inspiring.”
