We're delighted today to bring you, our valued dealer readers, the next module of our free, digital Dealer Toolkits.

Following the most recent installment that examined how the various AI tools available can offer dealers assistance in their businesses, today's one takes an unfortunate, yet necessary, look at the uglier side of the modern technological landscape.

Cyber crime is a phenomenon of which all dealers must be aware - with many reading this today likely to have already fallen victim in some capacity. Our latest Toolkit is based on a popular seminar ran at last year's Service Dealer Conference by two members of the West Midlands Police Cyber Crime Unit. All details within the Toolkit are authentic and genuine - unlike plenty of information that dealerships will be bombarded with on a too regular basis.

At the Conference the members of the Cyber Crime Unit (who requested not be photographed or identified) told our delegates that an increasing use by cyber-criminals of artificial intelligence is making fake emails and websites harder to detect.

In what was a fascinating, yet pretty terrifying presentation, I remember the guys saying that hackers are getting cleverer at researching companies and addressing individuals directly, as well as imitating a genuine contact in correspondence. In his write up on the seminar, Martin Rickatson wrote, "Such ‘spearfishing’ means they investigate what you/your employees are really interested in, to make it more likely an email/attachment will be opened and engaged with."

I can also recall that "I didn't think it would happen to me," was cited by the officers as the most common refrain heard when the police deal with the victims of these crimes. It might feel like a machinery dealership wouldn't be as likely a target for cybercriminals as some huge global corporation with millions in the bank - but the truth is smaller businesses are increasingly in the crosshairs. Precisely because they are not high-profile. These are often the easiest to exploit, with the consequences of an attack potentially devastating.

The insidious nature of these cyber criminals is that they rely on human error, lack of awareness, and outdated systems to worm their way in. So whilst we all have our fingers crossed that it won't be us, arming against these bandits before they strike, as our Toolkit intends to help with, is surely a sensible course of action?

And it's not just about protecting your own business operations. A cyber breach can seriously damage customer confidence, tarnish supplier relationships, and take a toll on your reputation that’s hard to recover from. With trust and long-standing loyalty such a large element of many of our dealer readers' relationships with their customers, it’s essential that this is safeguarded.

So make sure to have a look through the Toolkit. It offers examples of how a rouge email might look disconcertingly like the real thing; how deceitful websites try to convince you that they are genuine; and there's a great video that informs how hackers can try to hoodwink you through simple social engineering. The Toolkit then offers some practical tips to hopefully point the dealer in the right, safer, direction.

Please have a browse, start a conversation with your team and make steps towards safety.