January 26, 2026
Right now, cybercriminals are also setting their New Year's resolutions—just not the way you might expect.
Instead of focusing on "self-care" or "work-life balance," they're analyzing their successes from 2025 and strategizing how to maximize thefts in 2026.
Small businesses have become their prime targets.
It's not because you're negligent.
It's because your busy schedule creates openings.
And busy businesses make perfect prey.
Here's their 2026 playbook—and how you can stop them in their tracks.
Fraudster Goal #1: Craft Phishing Emails That Bypass Suspicion
Gone are the days of obvious scam emails filled with glaring errors.
Thanks to AI, phishing emails now:
- Sound authentic and natural
- Adopt your company's tone and jargon
- Reference actual vendors you collaborate with
- Eliminate classic warning signs
They don't rely on typos—they rely on perfect timing.
January is prime time: your team is distracted, rushed, and catching up after the holidays.
Here's a sample phishing email you might see:
"Hi [your actual name], I attempted to send the updated invoice, but the file bounced back. Could you please confirm this remains the right email for accounting? Attached is the revised document — let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, [name of your actual vendor]."
No wild claims, no urgent wire requests—just a seemingly normal message from a familiar contact.
Your Defense Strategy:
- Train your team to verify requests involving money or credentials via a separate, trusted communication channel.
- Deploy advanced email filters that detect impersonation by analyzing sender origins.
- Foster a culture that encourages questioning—celebrate employees who double-check suspicious requests.
Fraudster Goal #2: Impersonate Vendors and Leadership
This tactic hits hard because the messages feel authentic.
An email arrives:
"We've updated our bank details. Please use this new account for future payments."
Or a text to your bookkeeper:
"Urgent wire transfer needed. I'm in a meeting and can't talk."
It's not just texts anymore—deepfake voice scams are on the rise. Scammers clone voices from public sources like YouTube or voicemail greetings, then call your finance team sounding exactly like your CEO.
This is not science fiction—it's happening now.
Your Defense Strategy:
- Implement a mandatory callback procedure for any changes to payment details—use known, trusted phone numbers.
- Require voice confirmation before processing payments through established channels.
- Enable multi-factor authentication on all finance and administrative accounts to block unauthorized access.
Fraudster Goal #3: Intensify Attacks on Small Businesses
While major institutions became tougher to breach, cybercriminals shifted focus.
Instead of seeking one costly $5 million heist, they prefer numerous $50,000 attempts with higher success rates.
Small businesses are attractive because you hold valuable assets but often lack dedicated security resources.
These attackers know you're often understaffed, juggling various responsibilities, and may believe you're too small to be targeted.
That mindset is exactly what they exploit.
Your Defense Strategy:
- Adopt fundamental security measures—multi-factor authentication, timely software updates, and tested backups—to make your business a harder target than competitors.
- Eliminate the phrase "we're too small to be targeted" from your business vocabulary.
- Engage professional cybersecurity partners who can protect you without a full in-house team.
Fraudster Goal #4: Exploit New Employee Onboarding and Tax Season
January ushers in new hires who are eager but unfamiliar with company protocols.
Attackers exploit this eagerness with messages like:
"Hi, this is the CEO. Can you quickly handle this task? I'm traveling and unavailable."
Veteran employees might hesitate, but new hires eager to impress might comply immediately.
During tax season, scams escalate with fake W-2 requests, payroll phishing, and fraudulent IRS notices, often impersonating top executives.
By stealing employee W-2s and personal info, fraudsters file false tax returns before your team can.
Your Defense Strategy:
- Incorporate security training into onboarding so new hires recognize scams before accessing email.
- Establish clear policies, such as no W-2s sent via email and verification of payment requests by phone.
- Encourage and reward employees who verify suspicious requests rather than dismissing their caution.
Prevention Triumphs Recovery Every Time
Cybersecurity presents two paths:
Option A: React after a breach. Face ransom payments, emergency fixes, customer notifications, system rebuilds, and lasting reputational damage. Costs can soar into the hundreds of thousands, and recovery may take months.
Option B: Proactively prevent attacks by implementing robust security, training your team, monitoring threats continuously, and closing gaps before exploitation. This approach costs a fraction and runs quietly in the background.
You don't buy a fire extinguisher because your building is already ablaze—you buy it to ensure it never catches fire.
How to Keep Your Business Off Cybercriminals' Radar
A trusted IT partner can help by:
- Monitoring your systems around the clock to detect threats before breaches occur
- Strengthening access controls so a single compromised password won't devastate your network
- Educating your team on sophisticated scams, not just the obvious ones
- Implementing strict verification protocols to prevent wire fraud beyond just a convincing email
- Maintaining and regularly testing backups so ransomware is manageable, not catastrophic
- Applying timely security patches before hackers can exploit vulnerabilities
Focus on fire prevention, not firefighting.
Cybercriminals have their 2026 plans ready, counting on businesses like yours to be unprepared and overstretched.
Let's prove them wrong.
Remove Your Business From Their Target List
Schedule a New Year Security Reality Check.
We'll pinpoint your vulnerabilities, highlight critical priorities, and guide you on protecting yourself from becoming an easy target in 2026.
No scare tactics. No complicated jargon. Just clear insights and actionable steps.
Click here or give us a call at (760) 266-5444 to book your Discovery Call.
Your smartest New Year's resolution? Ensuring your business never makes someone else's list of cybercrime goals.
