Business email compromise attacks are growing in prevalence and creativity. Here's a look at how they work, the latest stats, and some recent horror stories.

Last summer, the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) sounded a loud alarm for organizations about the growing danger of business email compromise (BEC) scams. At that time, the FBI said BEC fraud had cost organizations worldwide $12 billion in losses since 2013.

Since then, the threat has continued to grow more dire. Security industry researchers have shown BEC scams are increasing in scope and complexity as attackers perfect their attack playbooks to target an increasing number of victims around the globe.

Here, Dark Reading takes a look at how BEC scams work, the latest statistics on BEC prevalence, and some recent BEC horror stories that should help security professionals and users prepare themselves for this growing class of fraud.

About the Author(s)

Ericka Chickowski, Contributing Writer

Ericka Chickowski specializes in coverage of information technology and business innovation. She has focused on information security for the better part of a decade and regularly writes about the security industry as a contributor to Dark Reading.

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