1. Don’t connect to the public Wi-Fi in the hotel. Truthfully, this also applies to coffee shops, airport lounges, etc. If a network is compromised and you connect to it, you could be giving hackers access to your devices.
2. Turn off the auto-connect feature. Even if you don’t actively connect to the hotel’s Wi-Fi, if a hacker has set up a fake Wi-Fi network and your device auto-connects to it, that could be a big problem. Shut the feature off and only manually connect to sources you trust.
3. Use your phone’s hotspot. Instead of connecting to public Wi-Fi, most cell phones come equipped with a hotspot that allows your other devices to connect to your phone’s internet. If not, one call to your wireless provider can often add this feature.

Now more than ever, we rely on technology to run our businesses and our lives. When the “Internet goes down,” most businesses come to a standstill until they are back online, costing thousands in lost productivity and sales. A perfect example would be the AT&T outage that happened a few weeks ago, when an estimated 1.7 million customers, including small business owners, lost service. No phones, no Internet. Could you afford your business being down for minutes, hours or even days? The answer is likely no.

Downtime is one way bad IT support can disrupt your business, but it’s not the ONLY issue. Big problems like recovering deleted files, removing malware and constantly monitoring and patching your network, and small irritations like getting file access, resetting forgotten passwords and repairing broken printers, can stack up over time and affect productivity.

That is why you must have a way to get back up and running quickly should something happen – or even a way to ELIMINATE tech problems before they start.

Unfortunately, paying through the nose for IT that can’t troubleshoot its way out of a paper bag is more common than you’d hope. These so-called “IT Wizards” who promised you top-notch support for bargain-basement prices are sitting around using their magic wands as backscratchers, waiting for YOU to let THEM know something has gone wrong. It has to stop. That’s why we’ve put together a list of fundamental and necessary requirements that ANYONE who’s working on your network should meet.

Check off all that apply:

• Does your IT company answer their phone LIVE and respond to emergencies promptly within 5 minutes?
• Is your IT company easy to reach and highly responsive (responding within an hour) when you need them for non-emergencies?
• Do you know if your IT company proactively monitors, patches and updates your computer network’s critical security settings daily? Weekly? At all? How do you know for sure? Hint: Most don’t!
• Does your IT company offer proof that they are backing up ALL your data, laptops and devices?
• Does your IT company meet with you regularly (at least once a quarter) to report on what they’ve been doing, review projects and offer new ways to improve your network’s performance instead of waiting until you have a problem to make recommendations?
• Does your IT company provide detailed invoices that clearly explain what you are paying for?
• Does your IT company explain what they are doing and answer your questions in terms you can understand, NOT in “geek-speak,” and routinely ask if there’s anything else they can help with, no matter how small?
• Does your IT company proactively discuss cyber security with you, make recommendations for protecting your network from ransomware and offer training videos so your employees don’t fall victim to a scam?
• Has your IT company provided you with complete network documentation or do they hold the “keys to the kingdom,” refusing to give you admin passwords, so you’re totally helpless if something goes wrong and you can’t get a hold of them?
• Do techs arrive on time and dress professionally, and do you look forward to working with them, or do you cringe every time you have to make that call?

If your current IT company, technician or “IT guy” does NOT check the boxes on every point, you could be – and most likely are – paying for substandard support.

This oversight could not only jeopardize your data and your network’s security but also cost you thousands in lost productivity because you and your employees are spending time dealing with problems that shouldn’t exist, but if something goes awry, you’re going to be the one everyone blames.

If that’s the case, then it’s time you see what else is out there and make sure you’re getting what you pay for. Anything less is a liability to your business.

To schedule a free 10-minute discovery call to see how we can get rid of your tech issues, go to Discovery Call With Techspert Data Services or call us at 216-800-7888.

The sobering truth is that, under the right conditions and with the right threat, anyone can fall victim to a financially devastating scam. This reality was recently demonstrated when a finance guru, someone armed with enough financial acumen to publicly advise others, lost $50,000 to a scammer pretending to be a CIA agent.

Charlotte Cowles, a seasoned financial advice columnist for New York Magazine’s digital fashion news site, The Cut, wrote a first-person account of how she boxed up $50,000 in cash in a shoebox, walked it out to the sidewalk in front of her house and willingly handed it over to an unknown person in a white Mercedes SUV. Looking back, she was humiliated that she couldn’t see the red flags, but the way these criminals intricately plotted every step would have convinced most people.

I suggest giving her detailed story a read, but to give you the nutshell version, this elaborate scam started early in the day when a woman from “Amazon’s customer service” called to inquire about unusual activity on Charlotte’s account. The woman told her this has been a frequent issue for the company, provided a case number ID and recommended Charlotte check her credit cards immediately. She shared that the issue was so prevalent that the company was working with a liaison at the Federal Trade Commission and offered to refer her to him for additional assistance.

Once connected, the FTC agent provided his badge number for reassurance and a direct number to reach him at, and confirmed personal details like her full name and Social Security number. Convincing, right? That’s when things took a turn. The agent shared that he had been following her case for some time, and to date, there were 22 bank accounts, nine vehicles and four properties registered under her name. The bank accounts had wired more than $3 million overseas, mostly to Jamaica and Iraq, and he wondered if she could tell him anything about this.

This crazy scheme escalated from there. The agent texted her a photo of her ID, claiming it had been found in a car rented under her name that was abandoned on the southern border of Texas with blood and drugs in the trunk and was linked to an even bigger drug raid. He told her there were warrants out for her arrest in multiple states and that she was facing heavy charges of cybercrime, money laundering and drug trafficking.

She frantically googled her name, looking for any warrants. Nothing. Sensing her rising discomfort, he asked if she had recently used public WiFi. She had, at the airport. “Ahh…” he said, “that’s how most of these things start.”

As she texted her husband that she was in serious trouble, the agent offered her a solution, but she could tell no one. Everyone was a suspect, and they were watching her every move. The agent said her laptop was hacked, her home was being watched and they could even see her two-year-old son playing in the living room right now. At the mention of her son, she was all in to resolve the problem. Sadly, you know the heartbreaking ending of the story. She drained her savings and hand-delivered it in a floral-printed shoebox to the scammer.

Here’s the real kicker: if Cowles, armed with financial acumen and a journalist’s skepticism, can be led astray, what chance do the rest of us stand? It’s a digital Wild West out there, folks, and the outlaws are on the prowl, looking for their next big score. This tale isn’t just a wake-up call – it’s a blaring siren for small business owners everywhere. If you think you’re too smart to get scammed, think again, because it’s happening all the time.

When Charlotte began to share her story, everyone seemed to know someone who had gone up against a scammer and lost. One friend’s criminal-defense-attorney father had been scammed out of $1.2 million. Another was a real estate developer duped into wiring $450,000 to someone posing as one of his contractors. Even a Wall Street executive, who had been conned into draining her 401(k) by a guy she met at a bar. These stories are everywhere.

Cyber security cannot be ignored. With the AI tools available, scams are becoming more and more difficult to identify. If you want to protect yourself, your family and your business, you absolutely MUST take your security seriously. Every day, hackers are buying and selling personal information, like Charlotte’s Social Security number, on the dark web to hackers who will use it to run scams just like this one. You or your loved ones could be next.

This ISN’T meant to scare you, although it should; it’s meant to educate you and give you the upper hand to go up against these criminals. To protect what’s yours. The best way we can help is to offer a FREE Cyber Security Risk Assessment. We’ll do an in-depth evaluation of your network’s security system, including scanning the dark web for leaked information, and provide you with a comprehensive report of what you need to do to be secure.

You can book your Assessment with one of our experts for FREE by going to Thank You – Initial Consultation | Techspert Data Services (techspert-data.com) or calling 216-800-7888.

Tax season is around the corner, which means so are tax scams. Without fail, every year, individuals and business owners alike fall victim to tax scams, resulting in the loss of substantial amounts of money and sensitive personal data. According to the Better Business Bureau, taxpayers lost $5.7 billion due to tax scams and fraud in 2022 alone. In today’s article, you’ll discover the top scams you need to be on the lookout for to reduce your chances of becoming these scammers’ next victim.

The IRS has specific methods of contacting you

One way to lessen your chances of falling for Internal Revenue Service scams is to know how the IRS will contact you. Per the IRS website, the IRS will not initiate communication with taxpayers through e-mail, text messages or social media platforms for the purpose of soliciting personal or financial information. The IRS’s main method of communication is physical mail; however, if they’re unable to reach you via mail, they may initiate a phone call. If this is the case, they will still try not to solicit any personal or financial information over the phone, and they will never threaten you or demand payment. If you’re second-guessing anything you receive, you can check out this article to help you figure out if it’s really the IRS contacting you.

Here are the top scams to keep an eye on this tax season

The Refund Scam

The Internal Revenue Service has issued a warning to taxpayers regarding a scam designed to deceive individuals into believing they are entitled to a refund. This is often the most common scam that we see happen every year.

In this scheme, recipients receive a formal notification, usually a letter, stating that they have an “unclaimed refund” available. There are variations of this, including one scam that uses a cardboard envelope from what looks to be a certified delivery service and bears the IRS logo.

Similar to many scams, the deceptive letter provides contact information and a phone number that is in no way affiliated with the IRS. What sets this scheme apart is its request for various sensitive personal details from taxpayers, including detailed images of driver’s licenses. Identity thieves seeking to get ahold of tax refunds and other confidential financial data can exploit such information. Stay vigilant and be cautious of such misleading communications. If something seems off, it probably is.

Identity Theft

If cybercriminals are able to get access to your personal information, they can file a fake tax return on your behalf and potentially collect a refund payment. The IRS recently shared that more than 1 million tax returns were flagged last year for possible identity theft.

One tool to prevent tax ID theft is to apply for an Identity Protection PIN from the IRS before you file your return. It’s also good to file early before criminals have a chance, and if you get a notice about an alleged “duplicate tax return” or a notice saying that additional taxes are owed, contact the IRS directly as soon as possible.

The ERC Scam

The Employee Retention Credit (ERC), sometimes called the Employee Retention Tax Credit, or ERTC, is a refundable tax credit against certain employment taxes. The IRS and tax professionals continue to see aggressive broadcast advertising, direct mail solicitations and online promotions involving the ERC. While the credit is real, aggressive promoters are misrepresenting and exaggerating who can qualify for the credit.

This has led the IRS to issue many warnings about ERC schemes from third-party promoters that charge large up-front fees or a fee based on the amount of the refund. These promoters may fail to inform taxpayers that they must reduce wage deductions claimed on the business’s federal income tax return by the amount of the credit.

Businesses, tax-exempt organizations and others thinking about applying for the ERC need to carefully review the official requirements for this credit before they claim it.

The “Impact Payment” Scam

As you prepare to collect the required documents for filing your 2023 return, be aware of a new online scam circulating. This scheme involves an e-mail displaying the IRS logo and addressing the “third round of economic impact payments,” deeming it an “important matter concerning your recent tax return filing.”

The e-mail asserts that certain inconsistencies or missing information have been identified and assures recipients that a refund of $976 awaits them upon submission of the required document. Notably, there’s a button labeled “complete my information,” but IRS Media Relations Specialist Robert Marvin urges you not to click it.

The “Additional Information Needed” Scam

If you receive an e-mail from the IRS requesting that you submit a tax form, proceed with caution. While there are legitimate forms that taxpayers may be required to complete (such as the W-9 for freelancers and W-4 forms for employees), these are typically directed to companies and do not go directly to the taxpayer from the IRS.

To steer clear of potential scams, it is recommended to disregard such messages and promptly report the fraud to the IRS. It’s important to note that the IRS does not initiate contact via e-mail, and any solicitation for forms through this is indicative of fraudulent activity.

Another Tax Agency Scam

Scammers may adopt the appearance of legitimate or fictitious tax agencies when making phone calls. Instances include impersonating entities like the Taxpayer Advocate Service or the nonexistent Bureau of Tax Enforcement.

While the Taxpayer Advocate Service is a legitimate entity, it does not initiate unsolicited calls to taxpayers. On the other hand, the Bureau of Tax Enforcement is not a genuine organization.

Exercise caution and skepticism toward unsolicited calls alleging to be from government agencies. Obtain a reference number if possible, terminate the call and initiate a return call using an officially verified phone number. This practice helps protect against potential scams.

Be Smart And Protect Yourself

The tax season often sees a surge in scams, but with some vigilance identifying an IRS imposter and protecting your finances and sensitive data becomes possible.

To enhance protection and mitigate the risk of identity theft, it is recommended to file your taxes early. Early filing reduces the window for scammers to impersonate you. When hiring a tax preparer, conduct thorough vetting and be wary of those promising substantial refunds without prior access to your information. For an added layer of security and peace of mind, explore a fraud protection service.

Cybercriminals never take a break. Tax scams are only one way they’re trying to steal your information and money. It’s important to have a full cyber security system in place to make sure your organization is protected at every possible entry point. We recommend getting a FREE third-party security assessment. Our team of experts will examine your entire network for vulnerabilities and help you map out a plan to fix them. In all the years we’ve been doing this, we’ve always found something.

To schedule your no-obligation assessment for your peace of mind, click here.