At this year’s Great Yorkshire Show McClarrons held an interactive discussion about the fastest growing risk to SMEs, Cybercrime.
In the last year more than 5.8m incidents of cybercrime were reported*, exemplifying the rapid development of this type of crime. Due to these high levels, our aim is to try and educate people of the risks, of the preventative measures that can be taken and the protection that is available. Guest speakers included Gary Gallen, CEO of law firm rradar, and DC Fiona Tetley of the Cybercrime unit at North Yorkshire police.
DC Tetley spoke about how crime has evolved with the development of technology. She noted that crime no longer has to be carried out face-to-face and that criminals can now benefit from anonymity and the ability to operate at a distance from their victims, anywhere in the world. The key message for individuals and businesses is that they need to be more aware of the risks and put preventative measures in place to protect themselves. Being aware of these types of crime enables individuals to identify them and take action.
Kate Dale, Yorkshire Rural Support Network Co-ordinator at Yorkshire Agricultural Society, who attended the event said that the seminar provided people with “A very helpful and timely reminder about keeping their businesses safer by observing some relatively simple rules and paying attention to the detail of some clever and convincing scams.”
Gary Gallen highlighted the issues for businesses in terms of regulation and legal implications. He noted that businesses need to be helped to understand the risks in order for them to be able to identify any vulnerabilities within their business, which they can then look to improve. Mr Gallen’s firm rradar proactively helps businesses with the aim of preventing such incidents in the first place, which can consist of more than just legal implications but also potential reputational damage, financial loss and business interruption.
Steven Swift, Head of Development at McClarrons, also invites people to ask questions of their insurance providers to learn more about the issues of Cybercrime: “Cybercrime is a huge area of concern to our clients, we are already seeing large claims coming in from businesses that have suffered a cyber-related incident. We are talking to clients about this issue because we believe this is one of the biggest risks businesses face today.”
Kate Dale echoed the importance of sharing this message saying, “All farming and rural businesses would do very well to receive the excellent messages, hints and tips we received and our Support Network will certainly be looking to share those messages with many more rural businesses”.
Businesses and individuals uncertain about the risks of Cybercrime, or those looking to protect themselves against it can get in contact with the team at McClarrons on 01653 697055 or by emailing enquiries@networkportfolio.co.uk/mcclarroninsurance.com.
*https://www.theguardian.com/uk/office-for-national-statistics
