Nano-lesson · usually takes 2–3 minutes

CEO fraud

Fake “boss emails” demanding an urgent payment — here's how to stop them.

Friday at 2.52pm

Friday at 2.52pm. An email from “the CEO”: “Are you at your computer? I need a discreet transfer done before 3.30pm.” This is CEO fraud: fraudsters impersonate a boss or supplier and rush through a payment or a new account number.

Warning signs

A “boss” asks for a quick, secret transfer, bypassing the normal procedures.
The email comes from a similar but wrong address.
A supplier suddenly reports a new account number.
A “boss” texts you: “Can you buy 5 gift cards and send me the codes? They're for clients.” Gift card codes are cash for fraudsters — and this variant targets everyone, not just finance staff.

Does it look like the boss?

From Laura Bennett — Managing Director <laura.bennett.director@gmail.com>

Subject URGENT: discreet transfer today

The name does — but an email from your actual CEO comes from the company's domain, not a free Gmail account. And a real boss never asks for a secret rush transfer that bypasses your procedure. Confirm via a channel you choose yourself.

Always do this

confirm via a known channel (call a number you already know — not the one in the email), and follow your workplace's approval procedure for payments.

Remember

No genuine boss will ever be annoyed that you double-checked a payment.

What the research says

CEO fraud alone cost $2.77 billion (roughly £2.2 billion) in reported losses in the US in 2024 — the second most costly category. It's about manipulating people, not deploying a virus: there's rarely an attachment to scan, so confirmation via a known channel and dual approval of payments are the real safeguards.

FBI IC3 Annual Report 2024 · Lawall, SECURWARE 2025.

Question 1 of 3

“The CEO” emails asking for an urgent, discreet transfer. What do you do?

Call the CEO on a number you already know yourself Reply to the email asking for written confirmation Call the number in the email's signature and get it confirmed

Question 2 of 3

A regular supplier emails saying they have a new account number and asks you to use it going forward. What's the right move?

Call the supplier on the number you've always used and ask Reply to the email asking them to confirm the new number Update the number — the email is from their usual address, after all

Question 3 of 3

A text from “your boss”: “Can you buy 5 gift cards for clients and send me the codes? I'm in a meeting.” What do you do?

Buy them — it's a small amount, and the boss is busy Contact the boss through a channel you know yourself before doing anything Reply to the text asking if it's really the boss

Well done!

You've completed one of the foundation courses — the ones everyone gets for free.

With a free login:

Your points, progress and course certificate are saved.
You get courses tailored to your role — not just the foundation courses.
We send training exactly when you need it — for example, as a follow-up to a phishing test.

Create a free login → ← See the other courses