In the 21st century, many aspects of our lives are online. With the rise of technology, we can now do everyday tasks from the comfort of our own homes, whether this be staying in touch with friends over social media, online banking or managing our energy accounts.
With the possibility to do so much online now, it is vital to protect ourselves from constantly evolving threats that scammers pose. Every download, login or purchase we make continually builds our digital footprint, putting our private information at risk should we not take the correct measures to protect ourselves.
Businesses are no exception to this rule either, with the UK Government reporting that in 2023, 32% of businesses and 24% of charities recall being targeted by security breaches and attacks. And, attacks can come in many different shapes and forms, whether this be phishing, refund or trusted organisation scams – such as scammers posing as your energy supplier. In fact, figures from Natwest show that this was the second most common type of fraudulent cyber activity the British public were targeted by in 2023.
Martin O’Donnell, Valda Energy’s IT Operations Manager comments “At Valda, cybersecurity is of the utmost importance to us, and we have implemented numerous measures to ensure that our customer’s data is safe and secure. It is of equal importance that our customers also take their own precautions and remain vigilant to the various threats currently targeting the energy sector.”
We asked Martin to walk us through the most common scams targeting the business energy sector and Valda’s customers and how you can protect you and your business.
The Valda Customer Portal is your all-in-one place to manage your business energy account, and therefore contains some confidential information, such as stored bank cards, your invoices and metering details. The Valda Customer Portal is fully secure and requires two factor authentication for each login. It is important that you set a strong and unique password that you do not share will anyone, no matter who they claim to be. Valda will never ask you for your password, and if you ever need to reset it, then you can do so securely on the Customer Portal by selecting ‘Forgot Password.’ You can find more information on how to do this on our password reset FAQ.
All your invoices are securely stored on the Valda Customer Portal where you can view and download them. Valda will never ask you for any information on your invoice or to send a copy as we are able to access all your previous invoices on our system. If you ever receive a request for a copy of, or any information contained on your invoice then please do not provide this.
When it comes to making a card payment, Valda will never ask you to provide card details over the phone, email, or text message. All our card payments are processed securely through the customer portal or via our automated payment line. Refuse and reject anyone that asks you to provide or verify payment details over the phone.
Over the past few years, we have seen energy prices rise to unprecedented levels, forcing the UK Government to support many of the businesses across the nation with different initiatives and schemes. Scammers identified this as an opportunity to target the already struggling SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) business sector.
Valda will always contact you about Government discounts you are eligible for, and most do not require you to apply. For any that do require an application, it will always be through the government website (gov.uk) and Valda will provide you with a link to the form. We will also never ask you to provide any personal information or banking details in relation to government schemes. Current schemes that you may see include the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) the Energy Bill Discount Scheme (EBDS) and the additional support for Energy and Trade Intensive Industries (ETIIs). If you are contacted about a scheme with any variation on the above names, then treat it as suspicious.
Perhaps one of the most used platforms for scammers is email. At a glance, emails can appear legitimate and very convincing. At Valda, our emails are always in a very specific style and format and will always be sent to you from an address ending in ‘@valdaenergy.com.’ If you notice anything different in the email layout and address, then this is likely to be a scam.
With millions of people in the UK using social media both personally and for their business, it is no surprise that scammers widely utilise the multiple platforms available today. Valda will never contact you over social media, including instant messaging services such as Facebook Messenger. If anyone contacts you through any of these channels, then please ensure that you disregard it, do not click on any links, provide any details, and report it to the appropriate channel.
If you are suspicious of any contact that appears to be from Valda, or believe you have been scammed, please let us know and we can inform you if it is genuine and any actions that you need to take. You can also speak to Action Fraud on 0330 123 2040 or use their online form for free advice or to report a scam. If you receive any suspicious emails, then you can send them to report@phising.gov.uk for investigation. If you are concerned about energy crime such as theft of gas or electricity, then report it to Crimestoppers Stay Energy Safe.
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