The FTC is using National Veterans Small Business Week to urge people to help veteran-owned businesses spot scams. Any business owner can use the same advice.
National Veterans Small Business Week starts in just a few days, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has a request. It asks people to honor veteran business owners by helping them spot and avoid scams. The FTC also has a message for every business owner, veteran or not.
The FTC says your best defense against scammers is an informed workforce. In plain terms, a team that knows the warning signs is harder to trick. Scams aimed at small businesses can cost money, time and peace of mind. One employee who recognizes a bad request can stop a problem before it starts.
Veteran small business owners are the focus of the week. But the advice applies to any small business owner and to the employees who work for them. If your staff answers calls, reads email or handles payments, they are part of your defense.
The alert box above lists the steps. In short, talk with your team this week, share the warning signs, and pass the tips to any veteran business owners you know. The FTC's consumer alerts page has the full list of ways to take part.
The material from the FTC does not name specific scams, give dollar losses or describe a new threat. This looks like a call to raise awareness, not a warning about one active scam. The details are on the FTC's page.
Use this week to talk with your employees about scams, and share the same tips with any veteran business owners you know.
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