Thursday,
August 13, 2015
Executive Email Scam
Recently, the Winnipeg Police Service has received numerous reports in which the perpetrators fraudulently obtain monies from local businesses or organizations.
The basic scheme involves the following:
- The
scammer obtains the email address of a company executive (appears through
open source, a company website perhaps) and then creates an almost
identical email account. (may contain or drop a “. “ between first and
last name for example)
- The
scammer sends an email to an employee within the company responsible for
paying bills. (may also be obtained through the company website)
- The
scammer impersonates the company executive and directs the employee to pay
a large invoice and provides directions or how to make the payment.
(usually an wire- transfer) The scammer will usually insert details
about the urgency of the matter and being out of the office or in a
meeting and can’t be disturbed.
- The
employee assumes the email is from their superior and follows the
directions.
- The
wire-transfer is later discovered to be fraudulent but it is oftentoo late
and the money is lost.
Anyone that has fallen victim to this scam is encouraged to contact the Winnipeg Police Service to make a report.
This scam is occurring across North America.
For information on how to protect yourself from fraud please see:
http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm
