CEO Wire Transfer Fraud (BEC)
Criminals impersonate executives to trick finance employees into wiring money. FBI IC3: 21,442 complaints in 2024, $2.77 billion in losses.
🚩 Red Flags
- ⚠Request to bypass normal approval processes
- ⚠Extreme urgency with same-day deadlines
- ⚠Executive unavailable for verification
- ⚠New bank account details, especially international
- ⚠Email domain slightly different from company
🛡️ Protect Yourself
- →PAUSE: No wire is so urgent it can't wait
- →CALL: Verify using known phone number
- →CHECK: Examine email address character-by-character
- →If wired: Contact bank immediately for recall
More Details
- “I need you to process an urgent wire transfer”
- “This is for a confidential acquisition”
- “Please bypass normal approval for now”
- “Time sensitive - must be completed by EOD”
- “Keep this between us until the deal closes”
Common Questions
Gift cards are untraceable instant cash. Once you read the codes, money is gone in minutes. No legitimate entity ever asks for gift card payment.
Usually no. Zelle is instant and irreversible. Banks rarely refund "authorized" transfers. Report immediately but prepare for loss.
Scammer sends check for more than owed, asks you to wire back extra. Check bounces weeks later — you owe the bank everything.
Almost certainly fake. Call your boss on a known number to verify. Scammers research companies and impersonate executives.
Report This Scam
If you've encountered this scam, report it to help protect others.
Warn Someone You Know
Know someone who might fall for this? Share this warning with them.
Related Scams
Boss Gift Card Request Scam
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Deepfake Video Call Scam
Scammers use AI-generated video deepfakes to impersonate colleagues or executives in video calls. Real-time deepfakes now possible on consumer hardware.
Fake Check Overpayment Scam
Scammers send a check for more than agreed, then request you wire back the "extra." The check bounces days later—you owe the bank everything.
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73% of Americans targeted(Pew, 2025)
|$470M lost to text scams in 2024(FTC)
|$16.6B total losses(FBI IC3, 2024)