serious= ernsthaft // seriös=reputable/respectable
Making a mistake with this false friend could have serious consequences! But in German, those consequences would be “schwerwiegende/ernsthafte Folgen”. So serious means “ernsthaft”. The German word “seriös” means something different. A “seriöses Unternehmen” is a reputable/respectable company, so the word suggest reliability and trustworthiness.