Cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and one of the most damaging scams targeting businesses today is Business Email Compromise (BEC). These attacks rely on deception—not malware—to convince employees to send money or sensitive information to fraudsters.

In a typical BEC scam, criminals pose as a trusted executive, vendor, customer, or business partner using a spoofed or compromised email account. They may request an urgent wire transfer, ask you to update payment instructions, or direct you to send confidential information. Because these emails often appear legitimate, even experienced employees can be caught off guard.

Fortunately, a few simple precautions can go a long way in protecting your business:

• Always verify payment requests by calling a known, trusted phone number before sending funds or changing payment instructions.
• Be skeptical of urgency. Fraudsters often pressure recipients to act immediately or keep requests confidential.
• Inspect email addresses carefully for subtle spelling changes or unfamiliar domains.
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on business email accounts to help prevent unauthorized access.
• Train employees regularly to recognize phishing attempts and suspicious email requests.

At First National Bank of Michigan, we’re committed to helping our business customers safeguard their finances. If you receive a suspicious payment request or have concerns about email fraud, contact your banker immediately before taking action. Together, we can help protect your business from costly cyber threats.

Visit the FNBM website Security Updates for more tips on keeping the bad guys at bay.

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