What is the main feature of Business Email Compromise scams?

The primary characteristic of Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams revolves around fraudsters impersonating high-level executives or trusted individuals within a company to orchestrate unauthorized wire transfers. This tactic often involves the criminal gaining access to a corporate email account or creating a very convincing spoof of that email account. By doing so, they can send legitimate-looking emails to employees, particularly those in finance or accounting, instructing them to transfer funds to a specified account, which is controlled by the fraudsters.

BEC scams are particularly dangerous because they exploit trust, relying on the established credibility of the impersonated executive. Additionally, they often take advantage of social engineering by creating a sense of urgency or confidentiality around the wire transfer request, making it more likely that employees will act quickly without verifying the legitimacy of the request.

Other options do involve aspects of fraud or scams but do not specifically define the main characteristic of BEC. For instance, while fake websites can be used in various scams, they are not a defining feature of BEC. Similarly, using social engineering to gather bank details is more general and can apply to a range of fraud types beyond just BEC. Finally, unsolicited marketing emails are unrelated, as they do not involve the deceptive impersonation that is central to B