In recent years, businesses have faced an unsettling reality: fraud is on the rise. Nearly 70% of companies report an uptick in fraud losses, driven by increasingly sophisticated schemes like identity theft, invoice fraud, and phishing attacks. As these threats grow, the need for stronger financial...

Data is under siege. There are over 2,200 different cyber attacks each day, which breaks down to one attack every 39 seconds. With such high volume, it’s no wonder that estimated cybercrime costs are expected to eclipse $10.5 trillion worldwide in 2025. From phishing scams and ransomware to insider...

Small business owners can’t overlook their fraud prevention strategies. The extra cash you might save from cutting corners isn’t worth the money you could lose to scams and hackers. Ensure your employees are well-versed on all the latest techniques cybercriminals use to obtain corporate money and...

Don’t let fraud prevention fall by the wayside. To survive in a world full of scammers and thieves, small businesses must take cybersecurity and check fraud seriously. Never trust a suspicious check, and don’t hesitate to request an alternative payment. Utilizing check payments to pay your vendors...

A vigilant remote work policy is the only way to safeguard your at-home employees from cybersecurity threats. While we’ve learned the value of remote and hybrid work over the past few years, we’ve also identified the pain points. Outside the office, your employees, their data, and your business...

The unfortunate reality is that cybercrime continues to pay, and as such, it continues to grow. This makes cybersecurity for small business an especially important topic for the small business world as most smaller companies have limited budgets—and therefore limited protection. Read more on how you...

Primary Source of Fraud: Business Email Comprise Email communication plays a major role in how many businesses conduct their daily operations. Fraudsters continue to adapt their business email compromise (or “BEC”) schemes, as well. While they may target an entire organization, they often focus...

Fraudsters Continue to Target Check Payments A large majority of organizations are still using checks for outgoing payments and checks continue to be the primary target of payments fraud. Without preventative measures in place, every check payment could be exposing an organization to fraud. AFP...

Fraud continues to be a challenge for many organizations. According to the 2023 Association for Financial Professionals, 65 percent of organizations report that they continue to be targets of fraud. And as the payments landscape continues to evolve, fraudsters are evolving their tactics too. Targets...

Technology can do wonders for your business, but it can also leave you open to many types of social engineering attacks if you don’t take the necessary precautions. Is your business prepared to recognize and fend off these attacks? Let’s unpack some common social engineering scams and how to prevent...

Your HTLF fraud partners, Director John Fick, and Fraud Risk Manager Tracy Swaim, along with their teams, work daily to help prevent and mitigate fraud loss for our clients. Now more than ever, small businesses are at an increased risk of fraud. Due to Covid-19, inflation, and rising interest rates...

Business email compromise scams—also known as BEC scams—can do untold damage to your company and reputation. Recognizing compromised emails is the difference between safe guarding your business or becoming a victim. Learn more about BEC scams and how you can protect your business and your bottom...