No industry is immune to cyber threats in 2025. While more businesses are implementing better digital security measures, hackers are getting more creative with their methods. The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center reports that internet crimes increased by 33% from 2023 to 2024, with losses last year exceeding $16 billion.
One of the most financially damaging online hazards is business email compromise (BEC). In a BEC, a scammer sends an email that appears to come from a trusted source and looks legitimate. Criminals can achieve this in a number of ways, including:
- Spoofing an email account or website. Scammers may use an email address or links that are slight variations on legitimate accounts or sites in the hope that the recipient may not notice.
- Sending spearphishing emails. These emails appear to be from a trusted sender and are used to trick victims into revealing confidential information that may allow criminals to access company accounts and records.
- Using malware. Malware can be used to infiltrate a company’s own networks and let the scammer gain access to legitimate email threads about billing and invoices. They may then use this information to time the messages and payment requests to the victim’s customers so it goes unnoticed by accountants and financial officers.
Related:
© Touchpoint Markets, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.