The Enormous Affect of Email Impostor Scams

As stated in my March 14th blog this year, impostor scams was named the # 1 type of fraud in 2016, according to the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel project. Fraudsters have become more partial to these type schemes because they take minimal effort, the likelihood of getting caught is marginal and they are extremely lucrative.
The video below details the scenario of a case I worked on last year involving an email account compromise.



FraudSense with Dorothy video segment 5:  Scammed: I sent the down payment for my new house to a crook



The couple in the video were unable to close on their house because due to an email impostor scam, they wired their $25,000 down payment to a crook. Bad actors are extremely clever.  Equipped with enough background information on their victims, they skillfully orchestrate believable email messages sent from the hacked or spoofed email accounts of the victim's true acquaintances.  They target businesses and individuals alike. The next time you receive an email from a business or an acquaintance regarding a request for you to initiate a financial transaction  follow these tips:

  • Perform due diligence before sending money.
  • Using contact information obtained from a reliable source, speak directly with the supposed sender to verify the message before sending money.
  • Don't provide confidential personal or account data to anyone via email unless you have confirmed their identity and need for the information.
  • Avoid opening email attachments unless you are expecting the email and have confirmed the sender.


 If you've fallen victim to an impostor email scam and have wired money to fraudsters you should:

  • Contact the merchant or financial institution that originated the transaction and ask them to attempt recovery.
  • Report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission and to the FBI's  Internet Crime  Complaint Center (IC3).

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