SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/sec-bec-second-channel

A vendor emails new bank details for the next payment. What does the FBI advise?

Confirm through a second channel, like a call to a known number.

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  1. Verify with a call to a known number or another channel ✔
  2. Pay the new account and tell them later
  3. Reply to the email asking if it is right

Why: If the attacker controls the email, replying to it only reaches the attacker. A phone number you already have reaches the real vendor.

Huh, didn't know that: The FBI says BEC grew as more workplaces moved routine business online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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References

Answer: Verify with a call to a known number or another channel. If the attacker controls the email, replying to it only reaches the attacker. A phone number you already have reaches the real vendor.

  1. FBI IC3: Business Email Compromise PSA (2022) www.ic3.gov/PSA/2022/PSA220504
    Use secondary channels or two-factor authentication to verify requests for changes in account information.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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