In Verona, the postal police managed to foil a million-dollar scam against an important local company. The staff of the company’s accounting office were contacted by the self-styled CEO of the group who instructed them to make bank transfers made out to a foreign account for a total amount of over one million euros. Once the agents received the report, they immediately activated the international police cooperation channels through the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Bank of Italy, managing to block the transaction and returning the money before it was transferred. The attempted scam falls into the category of “CEO frauds” also known as “boss scams” or “CEO scams”, in which a person who is inside a company with a top job position and spending powers is contacted by a fraudster who pretends to be the CEO and induces him to transfer money, normally to a foreign account. The criminals, before proceeding, carefully study the corporate structures to be strike, acquiring names and information that can make the situation as plausible as possible.
To recognize and prevent this scam, the State Police recommends:
– Pay attention to receiving emails or phone calls urgently requesting the payment of a sum of money, to current accounts other than those normally used, including foreign ones;
– Pay attention to requests to arrange urgent payments, perhaps with procedures different from those normally followed and to be carried out with absolute confidentiality;
– If you receive suspicious emails or phone calls, contact the person the scammer is trying to impersonate through a different and secure communication channel within the company organization, asking for confirmation of the situation presented;
– Prepare procedures within the corporate organization for accounting staff that allow the need for the transfer of funds to be ascertained with certainty.
