Business Email Compromise (BEC) Response Services

 Attackers gain access to a legitimate mailbox and use it to monitor communications, impersonate the account owner or send fraudulent messages. 

 Attackers intercept or impersonate supplier communications and attempt to redirect legitimate payments to criminal-controlled bank accounts. 

 Criminals impersonate senior executives or other trusted individuals to pressure employees into making urgent payments or disclosing information. 

 Attackers pose as trusted suppliers and request changes to banking details, invoices or payment processes. 

 BEC attacks may target payroll or HR teams with requests to change employee bank details or disclose personal information. 

 Not every BEC attack is focused on money. Compromised email accounts can expose sensitive correspondence, commercial information, personal data and credentials. 

 Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a targeted form of cyber fraud in which attackers compromise or impersonate a trusted email account to deceive employees, customers or suppliers. The objective is often to redirect payments, change banking details or obtain sensitive information. Attackers may use stolen credentials to access a genuine mailbox or impersonate a trusted individual or organisation without directly compromising their account. 

Integrity360 provides a multi-layered defence against Business Email Compromise, including:

• Email security assessments

• 24/7 managed threat detection and response

• Domain protection (DMARC, SPF, DKIM)

• Executive protection services

• Staff awareness training

• Incident response planning and support

We tailor our services to your organisation’s size, risk profile, and industry.

While both involve deception via email, phishing typically casts a wide net, sending mass emails with malicious links or attachments. Business Email Compromise (BEC), on the other hand, is highly targeted. Attackers often impersonate trusted individuals to trick employees into making payments or revealing sensitive information. BEC is usually more sophisticated and financially motivated.

Attackers use several methods, including phishing emails, credential stuffing, or exploiting weak passwords and lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA). Once inside a mailbox, they may observe communications for weeks before launching a carefully timed attack, such as intercepting an invoice or issuing fraudulent payment instructions.

BEC attacks often target finance departments, executives, HR teams, and accounts payable staff, anyone who has authority over financial transactions or access to sensitive business information. SMEs and large enterprises alike are at risk, especially those with weak email security or limited employee awareness training.

Warning signs include:

• Unexpected requests for urgent wire transfers or changes to payment details

• Messages with slight spelling variations in email addresses or domains

• Unusual communication patterns, such as requests outside business hours

• Pressure to bypass standard payment or approval processes

If you notice any of these signs, contact Integrity360 immediately for investigation and response.

1. Stop the transaction if it hasn’t been completed.

2. Notify your bank to initiate a recall of the funds.

3. Report the incident to your IT and security teams immediately.

4. Engage Integrity360’s Incident Response Team to contain and investigate the breach.

5. Review and strengthen your email security and internal controls to prevent future attacks.

 You should respond to a suspected Business Email Compromise immediately. Attackers may still have access to compromised accounts, be monitoring communications or attempting additional fraudulent transactions. Rapid action can help secure affected identities, preserve forensic evidence, identify the extent of the compromise and prevent further financial or data loss. If money has been transferred fraudulently, your financial institution should also be contacted immediately. 

 Yes. Business Email Compromise does not require malware. Attackers can use phishing, stolen credentials, session theft, impersonation or social engineering to gain access to email accounts or convince employees to take fraudulent actions. Some BEC attacks may not involve a compromised account at all, instead relying on spoofed or lookalike email addresses to impersonate a trusted individual, supplier or organisation. 

 If a fraudulent payment has already been made, contact your bank or payment provider immediately and provide details of the transaction. Acting quickly may improve the possibility of stopping or recalling the payment. You should also secure affected accounts, preserve relevant emails and other evidence, notify your security team and begin an investigation to determine how the fraud occurred and whether the attacker retains access to your environment. 

 Yes. Although BEC is often associated with financial fraud, a compromised email account may also expose personal, commercial or otherwise sensitive information. If attackers access or disclose protected data, the incident may constitute a data breach and could create regulatory or notification obligations. The investigation should establish what information was accessible and what evidence exists that it was viewed, downloaded, forwarded or otherwise exposed. 

 The length of a BEC investigation depends on the scope and complexity of the incident. A compromise involving one recently affected mailbox may be investigated relatively quickly, while an incident involving multiple identities, extended attacker access, financial fraud or wider cloud activity can require a more extensive investigation. Initial containment and triage should begin immediately, with the investigation continuing until the extent and impact of the compromise are understood.