CEO Fraud, Payroll Scams, and Vendor Spoofs: 3 BEC Attacks You Need to Know Now

The most dangerous email in your inbox?
It’s not the one with the sketchy link or the shady attachment.
It’s the one that looks like it’s from your CEO, your HR manager, or a trusted vendor.

Business Email Compromise (BEC) is one of the fastest-growing cyber threats targeting small businesses—and it doesn’t rely on malware or hacking skills. It relies on trust, timing, and human nature.

And it’s working.

What Is Business Email Compromise? (Quick Recap)

BEC is a type of cyberattack where criminals impersonate trusted people—often executives, employees, or vendors—to trick someone into transferring money or sensitive information.

There’s usually:

• No malware

• No obvious signs

• Just a convincing email that asks for something important, urgently
  
  

According to the FBI, BEC has cost businesses over $50 billion globally, and small businesses are among the hardest hit.

Let’s break down three of the most common—and costly—BEC scams you need to watch out for.

Attack #1: CEO Fraud (a.k.a. “Do Me a Quick Favor…”)

Imagine this: You’re about to head into a meeting, and you get an email from your CEO.

“Hey, can you pick up a few gift cards for clients and send me the codes ASAP? I’m on a call.”

The sender address looks familiar. The tone sounds about right. You’re in a rush, so you do it.

Except… it wasn’t your CEO. It was a scammer using a lookalike email address.

Why it works:

• Plays on authority and urgency

• Often sent during busy times or off-hours

• Easy to miss small changes in the sender’s email
  
  

How Lockwell helps:
Elle, your AI cyber defense agent, recognizes impersonation patterns—like sudden email activity from a “CEO” account or messages sent from unrecognized devices or IPs. If something’s off, Elle flags it instantly—before you act.

Attack #2: Payroll & HR Scams

A payroll specialist receives an email from “an employee” asking to update their direct deposit information.

The request seems polite and professional.

But it’s a scam—and the employee’s paycheck is rerouted into a fraudster’s account.

Why it works:

• The attacker often uses real employee names or emails

• HR and payroll are accustomed to handling sensitive requests

• There’s no system alert if the new account “looks legit”
  
  

How Lockwell helps:
Elle scans for red flags like domain spoofing or mismatched sender identity. She also watches for changes that mirror known scam patterns, like financial redirects or time-sensitive requests. The goal? Stop the scam before money is lost.

Attack #3: Vendor Invoice Spoofing

You receive an invoice from a regular vendor—except this one has a “new bank account” for payment.

You’ve worked with them for years. Why question it?

You pay the invoice.

And then the real vendor calls to ask why they haven’t been paid.

Why it works:

• Uses details from real past interactions

• The scammer often monitors or mimics communication threads

• It’s incredibly hard to spot when you’re used to seeing similar invoices
  
  

How Lockwell helps:
Elle analyzes attachments, invoice formats, and sender behavior. She also detects subtle changes in email addresses (like one extra letter or character). If a payment request looks risky, Elle isolates it and alerts your team.

How Small Businesses Can Stay Ahead of These Attacks

You don’t need a full cybersecurity team to protect your inbox. Just a few smart moves:

• Always verify changes to payment or payroll details by phone

• Use multi-step approval for financial transactions

• Train your team to spot urgent, unusual email requests

• Let Lockwell scan and flag impersonation attempts in real time
  
  

These attacks don’t succeed because people are careless—they succeed because cybercriminals are good at pretending to be people you trust. Lockwell adds a safety layer that never sleeps.

✅ Train Less. Catch More. Let Elle Watch Your Inbox.

Whether it’s a fake CEO, a hijacked vendor account, or a payroll scam, Lockwell and Elle are on guard 24/7—scanning, flagging, and protecting your team before mistakes happen.

[See How Elle Stops BEC →]

Because when it comes to your business’s money and reputation, one email can change everything—but it doesn’t have to.