The specific case, which is being investigated by the Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau at the New York County District Attorney’s Office, sees the fraudster impersonate a company director or CEO and then instruct members of the company’s finance department to transfer funds with respect to a discreet and/or sensitive acquisition, either of another business, or commercial property.
The fraudsters, often members of an organised crime group, seek to introduce a third party, purporting to be a lawyer or regulator, to add a sense of legitimacy to the request. These individuals may also impersonate a genuine entity. The use of similar email domains @acme.com (legitimate) @acme-group.com (false) may feature in this form of fraud. The fraudster may also obtain phone numbers within the correct dialling code in an attempt to make their deception more plausible.
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