Security News > 2023 > March > BEC scammers are after physical goods, the FBI warns

BEC attacks are usually aimed at stealing money or valuable information, but the FBI warns that BEC scammers are increasingly trying to get their hands on physical goods such as construction materials, agricultural supplies, computer technology hardware, and solar energy products.

In 2022, the FBI also warned of a BEC scheme aiming to steal shipments of food products and ingredients.

"Criminal actors impersonate the email domains of legitimate US-based companies using spoofed email domain addresses and the display names of current or former company employees, as well as fictitious names to initiate the bulk purchase of goods from vendors across the US. As a result, email messages sent to vendors appear to come from known sources of business. Thus, victimized vendors assume they are conducting legitimate business transactions fulfilling the purchase orders for distribution," the FBI explains.

"Victimized vendors ultimately discover the fraud after attempts to collect payment are unsuccessful or after contacting the company they believed had initially placed the purchase order, only to be notified that the source of the emails was fraudulent," the FBI further explains.

Since most organizations use email to communicate and do business, BEC scams are among the simplest ways for cybercriminals to achieve their goals.

The FBI also urges companies to file a report if they become victim of a BEC attack.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/03/27/bec-scammers-physical-goods/