Nikki Douglass, industry expert turned small business owner, warns about cyber scams and fraudulent activity.
Nikki Douglass had worked in the finance industry for more than 20 years before she decided to become a small business owner.
Eager to expand her capabilities, Nikki started a business with First Class Accounts, launching her franchise in Canberra.
“I love being a small business owner — it’s challenging and you learn a lot every day,” she said.
“It’s been the most beneficial choice for me personally, allowing me to expand my own knowledge and realise that my capabilities far exceed what I initially believed.”
Despite launching just months before the COVID-19 pandemic, Nikki says that having the backing of a wider business network has been key to her success.
Making a change
“It made me realise it was the best decision I made to join a franchise and having the support that comes with that,” she said.
“We’re quite self-driven, so we can run our businesses our way and still have access to education from the network.”
As a bookkeeper, Nikki and her team support businesses every day with their payroll, reporting, superannuation, app advisory, compliance, electronic finance systems and training, and a whole lot more.
In this position, Nikki has seen many scam invoices and phishing emails her business has been able to circumvent for her clients.
Cyber scam awareness
“We’ve received emails and invoices where the information has looked wrong and the bank account details have changed. Compromised tax invoices are getting more and more convincing,” she said.
“In accordance with our procedures, we have reached out to the business by locating their phone number through Google, rather than relying on the information provided on the invoice, as it’s possible that the scammer has altered it. In such instances, we have encountered instances where the invoice was indeed fraudulent, thus preventing any further action.”
It’s these financial fraud examples and working with other small businesses that have made Nikki a strong advocate for ensuring cyber-safe practices are in place and why she’s encouraging others to complete the Cyber Wardens training.
“It’s imperative we all know the importance of cyber security just as much as putting a seatbelt on in the car. We cannot ignore this and it’s becoming more and more part of our world,” Nikki said.
Help protect your small business from scams and hackers with free and simple cyber security training
