let's talk

AI Is Making Scams Harder to Spot – 5 Things Every Small Business Should Do This Month

small business cyber security

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month – a good moment to look at small business cyber security, because the scams are getting smarter.

The UK Government’s latest Cyber Security Breaches Survey found that 43% of UK businesses suffered a breach or attack in the past year – rising to 46% of small businesses with 10-49 staff. Phishing remains the biggest culprit, hitting 38% of all businesses.

Separate research from security firm ESET in September found that almost half of UK SMBs (49%) had a security incident in the last year, with AI-powered threats now their top concern.

What’s changed? AI.

Understanding small business cyber security in the age of AI

Not long ago, you could spot a scam email by its poor spelling and odd phrasing. Not any more. Criminals now use AI tools to:

  • Write flawless phishing emails that copy the tone of your suppliers, bank or even your own managing director.
  • Research your business from your website and LinkedIn, so messages mention real names, projects and invoices.
  • Clone voices from a short clip online, so a “phone call from the boss” asking for an urgent payment can sound completely real.
  • Work at scale, sending thousands of tailored attacks for the cost of one.

The tactics are the same – trick someone into clicking, paying or sharing a password. AI just makes them faster and far more convincing.

5 things to do this month

  1. Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) everywhere. Email, Microsoft 365, banking, accounting software. If a password gets stolen, MFA is what stops the attacker getting in.
  2. Agree a “call-back” rule for payments. Any request to change bank details or make an urgent payment gets verified by phone – using a number you already have, not one in the email.
  3. Train your team (little and often). A short refresher on what modern phishing looks like is the best value security spend you can make. Make it easy and blame-free for staff to report something suspicious.
  4. Keep everything patched. Unpatched software is one of the most common ways in. That includes PCs still on Windows 10 – read our Windows 10 update.
  5. Get Cyber Essentials. Only 12% of small businesses hold this government-backed certification. It covers the basics that block most common attacks, and it’s increasingly required for contracts and insurance.

Using AI safely in your own business

AI isn’t just a threat – it’s a brilliant productivity tool too. But make sure your team knows which AI tools are approved, and never paste customer data or confidential information into free, consumer AI apps. A simple AI-use policy goes a long way.

How E-telegence can help

We help businesses across Falkirk and Central Scotland stay one step ahead. Our managed IT support plans, from £20 per user per month, include MFA setup, email security, patching, monitoring and support for Cyber Essentials – so you can focus on running your business.

Want to know how exposed your business is? Book a free cyber security review with our team this October.

Sources: UK Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/26 – summary via CloudSwitched; TechRadar – ESET 2026 SMB Cyber Risk Report

Share:

More Posts