Business email compromise (BEC)
CEO fraud · Wire-transfer fraud
Business email compromise (BEC) is a targeted scam in which criminals pose as a company executive, employee, or trusted vendor, often by spoofing or hijacking a genuine email account, to trick an organization into wiring money or releasing sensitive data. Where mass phishing casts a wide net, BEC is researched and personalized, leaning on authority, routine, and urgency instead of malware.
How we check this: Written and reviewed by the Hunch team; recognition signs reflect how the FTC/FBI describe this scam. · Last reviewed: 2026-08
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Example
An accounts-payable clerk receives an email that appears to come from the CEO, asking for an urgent, confidential wire transfer to close a deal 'before end of day.' The reply-to address is a subtle lookalike of the real domain, and the tone discourages any verification.
How to recognize it
- An email from a 'boss' or vendor urgently requests a wire transfer, gift cards, or payroll change.
- The sender's address is a lookalike domain or a slightly altered display name.
- You're pressured to keep the request confidential and to bypass normal approval steps.
- A vendor suddenly asks you to send payment to new or updated bank account details.
How Hunch flags it
Hunch keys on signal categories typical of BEC: display-name and lookalike-domain mismatches on the sender, urgency and secrecy in the request, and a payment or account-change ask that departs from established process.
FAQ
What is wire-transfer fraud in a BEC attack?
It's the payout stage of BEC: the attacker convinces an employee to send a bank wire, or redirect a vendor payment, to an account the criminals control. Because wires clear fast and are hard to reverse, verifying by a second channel before sending is essential.
How can businesses prevent BEC?
Require a verified callback to a known number for any payment or bank-detail change, enforce dual approval for wires, and train staff to check sender domains and resist urgency and secrecy.