Security News > 2022 > March > FBI disrupts BEC cybercrime gangs targeting victims worldwide
A coordinated operation conducted by the FBI and its international law enforcement partners has resulted in disrupting business email compromise schemes in several countries.
BEC actors are high-level scammers who trick employees of real companies into making payments to bank accounts under their control, pretending to be a business partner or a firm submitting a legitimate payment order.
According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center 2021 crime report, the financial damage attributed to BEC scams in the year that passed reached $2.4 billion, only for the reported incidents.
The FBI announcement states the scammers they apprehended are considered responsible for targeting over 500 firms in the United States, causing financial losses of at least $51,000,000.
In parallel with Operation Eagle Sweep, the law enforcement agencies in Australia, Japan, and Nigeria conducted local operations targeting BEC actors.
The foolproof way to avoid sending money to a BEC scammer is always to call your business partner when you receive a request to send payments to a new bank account via email.