It’s Your Duty To Report Cybercrime
No matter how much – if any – damage has been done, the simple fact is that it’s your duty to report a cybercrime. This is even more important if any sensitive data has been stolen, but even if this is not the case, reporting the crime is essential.
Watch Out For Suspicious Activity
When you report a cybercrime, you give those who might be affected the chance to watch out for any suspicious activity. Individuals who may have been affected can check their bank accounts more regularly, look out for anything untoward and generally be more alert.
Help Other Organisations Deal With Cybercrime
When you notify the authorities that you and your business have been the victims of a cybercrime, you aren’t only helping yourself – you are helping other businesses just like you. Research has shown that cybercriminals will find a method of cybercrime that works for them and stick with it. This means that the more cybercrime that is reported, the more these particular methods can be looked out for, whether it’s a certain kind of scam or a specific network vulnerability. Businesses can inform their employees about what they should be careful about, and if there are any network issues, there is time to get them dealt with. The more businesses that report cybercrime, the less cybercrime there will be because businesses will become wise to the methods used.
A Reminder
It’s easy to get blasé about cybercrime. After all, if it isn’t something that has ever happened to you, you might think it never will. Protective measures can slip or never be used in the first place. If you’re doing this, you certainly won’t be the only one. Despite how devastating and potentially business-ending cybercrime can be, not all businesses do much to protect themselves against it. If you report any instances of cybercrime, you will remind others that they do need to think about it much more seriously.
You Might Catch A Cybercriminal
It’s true that not all cybercrime perpetrators will be caught. In fact, the statistics show that only around 3 in every 1,000 cybercriminals are arrested and prosecuted. That’s clearly not a large number, equating to about 0.03%, yet that is still some cybercriminals who are caught. This will result in the number of future cybercrimes being reduced, even if it is just by a small percentage.
Plus, even if the cybercriminal is not caught, the fact that you have reported their cybercrime means that there is now a record of their activities and the way they work. This could help them get caught in the future, and at the very least, it means that they may be more wary about continuing with cybercrime.
Prevention Is Better Than The Cure
As with anything in life, prevention is better than the cure and this is true for cybercrime as well. Cybercrime is potentially devastating; you can lose money, reputation, identities, and your entire business because of it. So although it’s great to report cybercrime, after the crime has taken place, the damage has already been done.
Preventing cybercrime means that the above problems won’t have any impact on your business, your personal finances, or on your customers and clients. To put protective measures in place, you should have an in-depth risk assessment carried out on your computer networks to ascertain where any potential issues may lie. It’s also important to install antivirus software and firewalls. Cybersecurity training for your employees is an excellent line of defence as well.
How To Report A Cybercrime
If you have been the victim of a cybercrime and you run a business, you will need to report the cyberattack to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). This relates to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules, which came into force on 25th May 2018. This report must be made within 72 hours of the cybercrime and ensures that any customer of your business who needs to be informed of the breach receives the appropriate information.
Action Fraud is an organisation set up specifically to tackle cybercrime. To contact them, you can either visit their website or phone 0300 123 2040. If you are suffering from a live cybercrime, this is the phone number that you should call right away. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but only for businesses, charities, and other organisations. If you are a member of the public, Action Fraud should only be contacted during normal opening hours. Action Fraud also has an online reporting tool for non-urgent cybercrime reporting.
If you believe that you are the victim of a cybercrime, you may also wish to report it to the police by phoning 101. Not only will this give them a report of what is happening, which is crucial, but it will also give you a crime number, which may be required should you need to contact your insurance company.
No matter which route you choose to go down or whether you use all of the avenues open to you, it’s vital to report a cybercrime as soon as you can. This way, you can potentially mitigate the damage, and you may be able to help other people who are going through, or will go through, the same thing.
Conclusion
If you need help with keeping your business safe from cybercriminals, please do not hesitate to contact us at Gemraj Technologies Ltd. We have a team of professionals who have years of experience in this sector, so you can rest assured that your business, your assets, and your reputation are in good hands. Contact us today to find out more!