MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In a recent crackdown called Operation Eagle Sweep, the FBI and partner agencies arrested 65 people in the U.S. and overseas who they said stole millions of dollars from businesses in Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams.
According to the FBI, BEC scams target employees of businesses that use wire transfers. The scammers hack company’s email accounts or will spoof email addresses to send out what appears to be legitimate requests for wire transfers. The bank accounts, however, are controlled by the scammers.
The FBI said the same groups will often also target individuals, many times when dealing with real estate or the elderly.
ABC24 spoke with Daniel Irwin from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of the Mid-South to find out what this means for consumers and the public.