Business Email Compromise: Protect Your Company from this Growing Scam

Learn about the growing threat of business email compromise (BEC) fraud, how it works, and what businesses can do to protect themselves. This type of scam can lead to significant financial losses for companies of all sizes, and it's crucial to be vigilant and take preventative measures to avoid falling victim to these types of schemes. Our article provides an overview of the risks of BEC fraud and offers practical tips and strategies for protecting your business.

Business Email Compromise: Protect Your Company from this Growing Scam

Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a growing threat to companies of all sizes. Criminals use fraudulent emails to impersonate high-level executives or other trusted individuals within a company and trick employees into transferring money to the criminals' accounts. In this blog post, we will discuss what BEC is, how it works, and what businesses can do to protect themselves.

What is Business Email Compromise (BEC)?

BEC is a type of fraud where criminals use social engineering techniques to impersonate high-level executives or other trusted individuals within a company. They do this by sending emails that appear to come from a legitimate source, such as the CEO or CFO. These emails typically ask for money to be transferred to a specific account. The email will often contain urgent language or instructions, such as "this needs to be done right away" or "this is a confidential matter."

How does BEC work?

Criminals use a variety of techniques to make their emails appear legitimate. They may use similar domain names or email addresses, or they may hack into an executive's email account to send messages from a trusted source. Once an employee falls for the scam and transfers the money, it can be difficult to recover the funds.

How can businesses protect themselves from BEC?

There are several steps that businesses can take to protect themselves from BEC:

  1. Educate employees about the risks of BEC and how to spot fraudulent emails.

  2. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for email accounts and financial transactions.

  3. Use email filters to identify potentially fraudulent messages.

  4. Establish clear procedures for approving and verifying financial transactions.

  5. Regularly review and update your cybersecurity protocols.

Conclusion

BEC is a growing threat to businesses, but there are steps that you can take to protect yourself. By educating employees, implementing MFA, using email filters, establishing clear procedures, and reviewing your cybersecurity protocols, you can reduce the risk of falling victim to BEC. Don't wait until it's too late - take action now to protect your company from this growing scam.