Business Email Compromise: The £1 Email That Could Cost You £100,000

Introduction

Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks continue to cause millions of pounds in losses every year.

Unlike ransomware, BEC attacks often rely on deception rather than technical sophistication.

How It Works

An attacker compromises an account or impersonates a trusted contact.

They then request:

Bank detail changes
Invoice payments
Gift card purchases
Sensitive information
Warning Signs

Look for:

Urgency
Secrecy
Unusual payment requests
Changes to payment details
Prevention

Businesses should implement:

MFA
User awareness training
Payment verification processes
Email protection technologies
Conclusion

A simple verification procedure can prevent significant financial loss.