713 - Cybercrime, Blackmail and Extortion, OH MY!

#Cybercrime is constantly in the news for wreaking havoc on businesses and even governments.

Blackmail, and extortion can also have severe consequences for small businesses.

Such events often result in financial losses, damage to a company's reputation, and disruption to its operations.

Blackmailers and extortionists use threats to force a business to pay money or take certain actions.

A blackmailer may release sensitive information or post fake reviews unless a ransom is paid. This can lead to a loss of reputation and trust from customers, as well as financial losses from the ransom itself.

Recently, @Sani Abdul-Jabbar, CEO of @VezTek, posted about his company being blackmailed by a foreign entity posting fake negative reviews on #GoogleReviews.

The entity was expecting @VezTek to pay a ransom before they would stop posting the fake reviews that were damaging the company's credibility. Now the fake reviews are showing up on other platforms as well.

Small businesses are often targeted by cybercriminals because they may have weaker security systems than larger companies. But in the case of @VezTek, there was no cyberattack.

The criminal used a simple method to tear down the reputation of the company.

They contacted @Sani Abdul-Jabbar expecting him to pay a ransom. Luckily, the company is more savvy than that. Also, the reviews can be easily recognized as FAKE!

Sani and his team make sure to follow up with every comment, letting other readers know that these people have never done business with VezTek.

While that takes time, it's better than paying criminals in the hope they will stop. And, there's no guarantee that they would stop.

@Google does little to help. Even after reporting the issue multiple times, the #fakereviews continue to come in.

How would you respond to a barrage of fake negative reviews damaging your business' reptuation?