By LIDDIE MARTINEZ
President, Los Alamos Region
Enterprise Bank & Trust, Member FDIC

As we settle into 2026, I encourage all of our small business owners to take a moment to review their fraud prevention plans. Since many local businesses don’t have large security departments, planning ahead is an important step we can take to protect ourselves.

The world of fraud is changing rapidly, driven more recently by artificial intelligence (AI). This means scams are faster, more convincing and much harder to recognize. Those old red flags, like awkward emails or clunky visuals, are disappearing, replaced by threats that look seamless and professional. For example, criminals can now clone someone’s voice or face from short clips to create urgent, fake video calls, impersonating executives, partners or even family members. And those phishing emails? AI tools now generate messages with perfect grammar and authentic-sounding language. We simply can’t rely on old cues anymore.

Enterprise Bank & Trust is committed to helping our local businesses stay safe. We offer a collection of fraud prevention resources to help you learn about the latest trends as well as enduring best practices. Beyond new tools, strengthening our defenses starts with awareness.

Here are three key steps to raise the barrier against these new AI-driven threats:

• Require multi-factor authentication everywhere, and educate your team to use a verification method like a known phone number to confirm sensitive or unusual requests.
• Train your team to challenge unexpected voice or video calls, even if they appear to come from known contacts.
• Connect with a Treasury Management professional for a referral for a third-party organization that can help your business run regular simulations of phishing emails or fraudulent calls or text messages to see where your team is most vulnerable.

On a related note, one of the best investments you can make is in your team. I highly recommend enrolling your employees in a fraud training course. Please consider exploring Enterprise Bank & Trust’s signature, no-cost business education program, Enterprise University. You can explore the coursebook and find courses, covering a wide range of topics, designed to prepare your business for the latest fraud and business trends.

Protecting the financial well-being of our small businesses is essential to sustaining the strong community ties and economic stability of Los Alamos. We strongly encourage all local business owners to take full advantage of the fraud prevention resources Enterprise Bank & Trust offers.