Summary: Cybercriminals are targeting Sage 100 users with convincing scams in which they impersonate the people you’d call for help. Remember that in all cases, the safest response to anything suspicious is always the same: call your partner first.
You’re in the middle of a busy day when your IT department calls to update something in Sage 100. You’re about to grant them remote access, but then you think, “Wait. IT never does this. I always have to reach out to them. This is strange.” You don’t grant access, and you manage to get them off the phone.
And then? You call your Sage 100 partner.
Good choice.
Two Recent Scams Currently Targeting Sage 100 Users
I recently heard about two scams targeting Sage 100 users. In one, the criminals impersonate your IT team. In the other, they pretend to be Sage support.
As they say, forewarned is forearmed. So here are the details.
- The IT company scam
The FBI has issued a warning about a group called the Silent Ransom Group. They pose as an employee from your IT department and either call up directly or send phishing emails that tell your employees to call “the IT team.”
When they get you on the phone, the criminal tells you to grant access to a remote desktop session, which is creepy enough. But if they can’t get you to grant remote access, they actually send someone to your physical location to “create a backup to address potential impacts from the phishing attempt.”
In either situation, they steal your data and then threaten to expose it online unless you pay them.
As of May, the only victims of this scam had been law firms, but this group of cybercriminals has a history of changing their tactics. It’s best to be prepared.
How to fight this scam: Don’t grant anyone remote access to your system, and don’t let anyone access your server in person.
And if someone tries to do either of these things: call your Sage 100 partner.
- The support number scam
If an unfamiliar Sage error pops up on your computer, what’s the first thing you do?
Call your partner. (Do NOT Google “Sage 100 support.”)
A fraudulent Sage 100 support number is showing up in Google search results. If you call it, the person on the other end will ask to remotely connect to your system to check the error.
When you let them in, they’ll tell you you’ve got data corruption, and then they send you an estimate for thousands of dollars to fix it.
How to fight this scam: Don’t Google support numbers for any software product, including Sage 100, and don’t grant remote access to anyone you don’t know.
And if you or an employee has already done any of these things, call your partner.
The Rule: Call Your Partner First
Don’t bother Googling support numbers. Even if you do manage to reach Sage, they’ll probably just refer you to your partner anyway.
Just call your partner first.
Don’t Stress. You’ve Got This.
Articles like this naturally get your heart rate racing, but relax. Not only are you forewarned and forearmed now, but you also know exactly what to do.
Call your partner.
I recommend that you:
- Save your partner’s number in your phone right now
- Never let an unknown person near your Sage 100 system
- Hang up and call your partner if something seems weird on a call
There’s an easy and very catchy way to remember this. In fact, once I tell it to you, you’ll have the solution running through your mind for a while.
Ready?
Just remember:
If there’s something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call? Your partner!
If there’s something weird and it don’t look good, who you gonna call? Your partner!
And now that that’s stuck in your head, relax and enjoy the rest of your day.
But if there’s something weird and it doesn’t look good…
