The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Bruce Billson, has released a guide for small businesses using social media as their business platform, with tips to reduce the chances of being hacked.
“Using social media can be a valuable way to grow and increase awareness of your business with existing and potential new customers, but there are important precautions that must be taken” Mr Billson said.
“Digital platforms have fundamentally changed the way small businesses connect and sell to their customers. Yet, when there is a problem – such as having your account shut down after being hacked – solving it can be a nightmare.” Mr Billson said the number of cases involving a small business having problem with a digital platform has more than doubled since July 2022 (up by 127 per cent) and continues to be one of the top requests for assistance that requires a case manager to get involved.
Two-thirds of the cases relate to Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, and 75 per cent of those disputes last month alone were about getting access to an ac count after being hacked.
Mr Billson said the free Guide to Using Social Media Securely include tips for small and family businesses about how to reduce the risk of being hacked and steps that can be taken with the digital platforms if you are.
The free guide is available on the ASB FEO website at www.asbfeo.gov.au/smsecurely.