LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- If you own or work for a small business, experts are warning to stay informed about these common scams.

Scams can impact every business, regardless of location, size, or industry. But they are especially a problem for small businesses. Local businesses and start-ups often don't have the cyber security support or established accounting processes of larger companies. This can make them more vulnerable to scams.

Chris Babin with the Better Business Bureau explains what scams small businesses should watch out for.

"Some of the most prevalent scams targeting business, one being email business compromise, so whether the security of the web page for the actual business gets compromised and people are able to get into email addresses and impersonate employees or they just make very similar email addresses emailing employees pretending to be somebody else within the company a lot of times asking for money," Babin explained.

Businesses may receive fake invoices demanding payment for products or services they never ordered or received. The most common scams involved office supplies, website hosting services and directory listings.

"A lot of times if a business doesn't keep good account of what office supplies may have been ordered or what things had been ordered by the company, scammers send fake invoices and if a business isn't paying attention and in some instances, they will pay bills or send money to a company thinking that they're paying a bill but it's not even a legitimate invoice, it's just something made up by a scammer trying to steal that business' money," said Babin.

Most businesses are regularly asked to donate funds to charitable causes. While many requests are legitimate, small businesses become victims of fraudulent charitable solicitation schemes every year.

"Small businesses, especially here in Acadiana, want to help out, want to donate, want to support good causes, and we've had fake charities contacting businesses for money, soliciting donations and the charity doesn't exist. It's just the scammer again trying to steal money from that business," said Babin.

Here are some tips to help small businesses protect themselves:

• Keep good records. Keep documentation of all orders and purchases. This will help you to detect bogus accounts and invoices.
• Be extra careful with payment procedures. Establish payment authorization procedures, including a multi-person approval process for transactions above a certain dollar threshold.
• Avoid some payment methods when possible. Wire transfers, pre-paid debit cards, and gift cards are scammers' preferred payment methods.
• Double-check vendors. Make sure that the business billing you is a business you're familiar with and normally do business with. If not, question it.
• And finally, protect your devices. Make sure you have proper computer protection software and a firewall. Don't click on links inside unsolicited e-mails. They could spread malicious software or viruses.

If you have a scam you'd like me to investigate, feel free to send me an email at smasters@klfy.com.

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