Article · 16 Jul 2026

Scam calls are a business process problem too

Scam calls are increasing, and for many businesses they are more than a nuisance.

Every call takes time. Every interruption breaks focus. Worse, a convincing caller can pressure a member of staff into sharing information, clicking a link or changing a payment detail.

The best defence is not expecting every employee to spot every scam perfectly. A better approach is to create a simple business process.

For example, staff should know which requests must never be handled by phone alone. Password resets, payment changes, supplier bank details and urgent access requests should all have a second check. If a caller claims to be from a bank, supplier, IT provider or mobile network, your team should feel confident ending the call and using a known trusted number instead.

Directors can help by making the rule clear: nobody gets blamed for pausing and checking. A five-minute delay is much better than a costly mistake.

It is also worth reviewing phone, email and Microsoft 365 security together, because scams often move from one channel to another.

This is also where automation can help. A simple written process, shared contact list and clear escalation route can stop staff improvising under pressure. The goal is not to make people suspicious of every call, but to make safe checking normal.

For most small businesses, the best next step is a short review rather than a large project. Confirm what is already working, identify the two or three biggest gaps, then agree a realistic order for fixing them. That keeps the conversation practical and avoids overwhelming the team.

If you want a plain-English review of how your team handles scams and suspicious requests, book a review with IT Life-Raft.