COMPUTING

By James Flynn, Milborne Port Computers

Recently there has been an explosion of email and website frauds. The purpose is usually to get you to send them money or to give them enough personal detail for them to defraud you.

Fake emails often (but not always) display some of the following characteristics:

• The sender’s email address doesn’t tally with the trusted organisation’s website address. • The email is sent from a completely different address or a free web mail address (gmail.com, outlook.com, hotmail.com). • The email does not use your proper name but uses a non-specific greeting like ‘dear customer’.

• A sense of urgency; for example, the threat that unless you act immediately your account may be closed, or threatening to send revealing pictures to your friends and family. • A prominent website link. These can be forged or seem very similar to the proper address, but even a single character’s difference means a different website (for example, barlcays.co.uk, nawtest.com). • A request for personal information such as user name, password or bank details. • The email contains spelling and grammatical errors. This is very common, and they may contain phrases that an English speaker would never use.

• You weren’t expecting to get an email from the company that appears to have sent it. • The entire text of the email is contained within an image rather than the usual text format.

• The image contains an embedded hyperlink to a bogus site.

• A begging email purporting to be from somebody you know. I recently received a call from somebody that has received an email saying their PayPal account had been hacked. I asked if they even had a PayPal account, and they said, NO! I then asked them how they thought their nonexistent account could have been hacked … and the penny dropped!!

What should you do if you’ve received a scam email?

• Delete the email!

• Do not click on any links in the scam email.

• Do not reply to the email or contact the senders in any way. • If you have clicked on a link in the email, do not supply any information on the website that may open, just close your browser and restart your computer. • Do not open any attachments that arrive with the email.

• If you think you may have compromised the safety of your bank details and/or have lost money due to fraudulent misuse of your cards, you should immediately contact your bank. Sometimes, following a link in an email opens a fake website telling you your computer has been infected and you must call the number on the screen … DON’T CALL THE NUMBER! … no matter how dire the consequences might seem … without even trying to close the browser, shut your computer down and start again. 99% of the time you’ll be back to normal, can return to your emails and delete the offending item.

If in doubt or you need help, you know where to come!

THE NEW NORMAL FINANCE

By Becky Rogers, Financial Planning

After a turbulent 2020 many small and medium-sized business owners may now be looking at their business model afresh in what we are told is the ‘new normal’. Many of you may be thinking about the need to increase revenue or drive down costs or, more likely, a mixture of both. Whilst revisiting the way your business operates, protection is often overlooked, be it protection for the business, for the directors and their families or for your workforce, but 2020 has taught us to expect the unexpected and take nothing for granted. When dealing with our small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) clients we ask ‘what happens to your share of the business upon death’ and ‘what would happen to the business if either yourself or a key member of staff was unable to work’. The typical responses range from a reliance on the other business owners ‘to do the right thing’ in respect of their family or an admission that the business would be likely to wind up within 12 months of losing a key person. Often SMEs are highly reliant on their people for their success which makes considering insuring against this loss highly important, but often overlooked. We tend to find that this either comes down to lack of time, confusion or simply a lack of awareness of the options available.

Business protection can be broken down in a simple way as life or critical illness insurance protecting: Profit - by releasing a cash injection into the company should a key person be unable to work through serious illness or death. This could be used to recruit a high calibre replacement and aid business cash flow during the recruitment process. Debt – if a business loses a key person, the policy can help repay a business debt, including the repayment of a director’s loan account.

Ownership – if the business loses a partner or shareholder, the policy proceeds can help the remaining business owners to buy the affected individual’s share of the business.

Business protection is normally tax efficient, with some policies meaning the premiums can be an allowable expense for corporation tax or the proceeds payable tax free.

In 2017, a survey carried out by Legal & General found that 26% of directors didn’t know the company had to repay the loan account upon death, add the cost of this to the high possibility that the director was also a shareholder and actively involved in the business – how would the business afford to meet its liabilities and keep trading? The survey also highlighted that 75% of SME owners/directors wanted to find out more about business protection from their financial advisor and 84% of businesses took out cover once they understood the benefits and had received advice to do so.

If you are interested in discussing your business plans and finding out more about your options, contact Fort Financial Planning on 01935 813322 for a free, confidential and no obligation chat.

ONCE EVERY TIER IS WIPED AWAY

By Jim Rayner

When all this is over, and we’re allowed to leave our homes without first checking we have a reasonable excuse and a supply of face masks, will we find it’s back to business as usual? Or will we have to adapt to a new normal?

Some behavioural changes are probably permanent. A Ford dealer I know was surprised to sell a record number of second-hand cars in December despite not being able to offer test drives. And my 90-year-old parents have enthusiastically embraced online food shopping. It will be interesting to see whether working from home becomes the new normal for office jobs. It has been a year in which socially distanced businesses have flourished. We may not be able to pleasurably mooch around our favourite local bookshop but using a well-known website we can from the comfort of our own bed order a best seller at 3.00am without having to sanitize our hands, wear a face mask or suffer the inconvenience of talking to somebody who actually knows about books. And to enhance the customer experience a helpful algorithm will tell us that people who bought Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror & the Light also bought hair straighteners, and based on our browsing history suggest we buy a 5-litre tub of raspberry puree.

The efforts of online businesses to provide customers with a personalised experience haven’t yet been able to meet the Turing Artificial Intelligence test and interact with us in ways that make them indistinguishable from human behaviour. And personally, I want to buy books from businesses that are owned and staffed by people who love books.

And that’s where small businesses have a winning advantage. The online giants may have scored when it comes to efficiency and convenience but they struggle to compete on personal service and expert knowledge. There’s a real opportunity for local businesses to use the latest online tools and get the best of both worlds.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Online stores work best for low ticket items with straightforward choices, such as size and colour.

• If you’re designing a unique solution to fit a customer’s specific needs and budget – maybe a dream kitchen or a package of business advice – face-to-face selling works much better.

• For businesses that involve regular client meetings consider offering the choice of faceto-face or Zoom, but price accordingly.

• A short video can work better than a long email for communicating with customers and colleagues. Loom.com is easy to use, allows you to record your screen as well as your face, and is free for videos of up to five minutes.

STAY ON TOP OF THE NUMBERS

PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS

PATRICK MEARS JOINS BATTENS TO HEAD BATH COMMERCIAL OFFERING

Leading South West law firm Battens Solicitors has announced the appointment of Patrick Mears as Head of Commercial Property, Bath. Renowned for his considerable expertise in commercial law, servicing the Bath market for many years, Patrick will help focus and build the firm’s commercial offering in Bath.

Building on Battens’ reputation for excellence in commercial law, from its Yeovil headquarters and network of offices beyond, Patrick’s appointment comes in response to the growing number of Bath businesses needing post-Covid support with legal matters.

Commenting on Patrick’s appointment, Battens’ Chairman David Stephens said; ‘We are delighted that Patrick has joined the Battens team to head up our commercial proposition in Bath. The pandemic created an extremely challenging year for business owners and those involved in commercial property during 2020, so being able to call upon an experienced, hands-on legal team at competitive prices is crucial for the Bath market.

‘With the team we have in place and the mix of skills and experience they bring, we’re confident that our Bath office can plug this gap and help provide some much-needed support for local business and property owners.’

Patrick joins Edd Thompson, Property Litigation specialist and Vice President of the Bristol Law Society, and Brian Levine, Head of Media, Entertainment & Intellectual Property (IP) at Battens’ Bath office, which opened in 2016. ‘I am really excited to be joining the Battens team in Bath and look forward to working with Edd and Brian to build our commercial offering and help businesses in the area navigate the post-Covid landscape. As a small, but experienced team, each with our own areas of specialism across commercial law, we can help business owners and commercial landlords with all their legal needs, from commercial contracts to lease renewals to more complex dispute and IP matters. Our size and structure mean clients get senior, hands-on advice at a competitive price and that we can remain nimble, building our Bath team around what the market needs.

‘Last year was undoubtedly tough for businesses, but we are seeing some promising deals and commercial activity taking place. With this in mind, we feel confident about the outlook for our clients in 2021 and the part we can play to help them stabilise and flourish,’ said Patrick. Battens’ Bath office is located at 7-9 North Parade Buildings and is operating in line with current Government advice.

LOOKING AFTER YOURSELF DURING DIVORCE

By Lisa Holden, Head of Pardoes Solicitors Family Team

It is a well-known fact that divorce is one of the top most stressful events in anyone’s life and the new year often the busiest time for divorce lawyers. Looking after yourself and making sure you emerge from the process without suffering mental trauma is very important.

We now share our tips to steer through the divorce process and make the most of the support your lawyer can offer.

COMMUNICATION

Communication is key and works best if there is good clear understanding on both sides. Let your lawyer know if you are suffering from depression or anxiety, and they can then carefully help and guide you through the process.

If you have any reading issues such as dyslexia, tell your lawyer so they can communicate with you appropriately. Lawyers usually use emails or letters, so let your lawyer know if you need time to prepare before you receive a letter from the solicitor for your husband or wife. If you would rather your lawyer talked you through letters received before you read them, this too can be accommodated.

PRACTICAL STEPS

If you are having your first meeting with your lawyer and are feeling nervous, bringing someone with you can be helpful. Let your lawyer know in advance if you are feeling anxious so they can take extra care in making sure the meeting is as stress free as possible.

Court hearings are still taking place using conference telephone calls or video link. If you find the thought of being on camera stressful, tell your lawyer. Alternatives can be arranged.

ALTERNATIVES TO COURT

There are a lot of options available to help you resolve your differences. without going to court or engaging in lengthy correspondence. These include mediation where you can engage with a neutral mediator to work through your differences.

The collaborative process can be very effective as it allows for both parties with their lawyers to meet together (virtually in the current crisis) and discuss options for settlement in a constructive and supportive way.

GROW YOUR SUPPORT NETWORK

This is a tough time, so do not be afraid to call for help and support from friends and family or counsellors, therapists, psychologists or other such professionals. Family lawyers will be sympathetic to your situation but they are not therapists.

TIMING

This is your divorce or separation and therefore it is important to go at your own pace. You may need a break from time to time but do let your lawyer know. Simply ceasing to provide instructions creates more stress and costs. It is not a sign of weakness to struggle with the process or to need a break.

Our team of family lawyers are uniquely placed to empathise and engage with the impact of mental health issues on relationships and divorce. We will always explore all non-court options with you and offer those services to you with a view to reducing conflict throughout the process wherever possible.