You checked your inbox this morning, replied to a few emails and got on with your day. Nothing felt off, but what if someone else had been doing the exact same thing, right inside your inbox, without you knowing?
Business email compromise is one of the most common cyber threats facing Australian SMBs today. The problem is most business owners have no idea it has happened until a client gets scammed, money disappears or confidential files end up in the wrong hands. Recognising the signs of business email compromise can help mitigate these risks.
Here are Five Signs of Business Email Compromise
1. Emails You Never Sent Are in Your Sent Folder
Open your Sent folder right now. If there are emails in there you do not remember sending, someone else has access to your account. Hackers use compromised accounts quietly. They send phishing emails to your clients pretending to be you, and because the emails come from your real address, people trust them.
2. You Are Getting Login Alerts From Places You Have Never Been
Business email compromise often begins with phishing attacks that target unsuspecting employees.
A login notification from a city you have never visited or a device you do not own is a serious warning sign. It means someone has your credentials and is actively using them. This usually starts with a phishing email. You click a link, enter your details on a fake login page and unknowingly hand your password to a criminal.
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3. You Are Getting Password Reset Emails You Did Not Ask For
That is not a glitch. That is a hacker working their way through every platform connected to your email, from your bank to your accounting software, trying to lock you out one account at a time. This is called account takeover and it can bring a small business to a complete standstill.
4. Your Contacts Are Receiving Strange Emails From You
Your business could fall victim to business email compromise if adequate precautions are not taken. Your business could fall victim to business email compromise if adequate precautions are not taken.
If a client messages you asking “did you send me this?” about an email you never wrote, your account has almost certainly been compromised. This one hurts the most because it affects trust. Your clients get a convincing email from your real address asking them to click a link or transfer money. Some will do it. And when they realise what happened, it is your reputation on the line.
5. Your Email Is Slow or Acting Strangely
If your email is suddenly slow, marking messages as read that you have not opened or behaving in ways that feel off, do not ignore it. Hackers sometimes set up hidden forwarding rules that quietly send copies of every email you receive to an outside address. These rules run in the background and most people never spot them. Meanwhile, months of confidential information are walking out the door. Implementing security measures can significantly reduce the risk of business email compromise.
If you notice unfamiliar login notifications, password reset emails you did not request, strange emails being sent from your account, or your mailbox acting unusually, treat it as a potential security issue. Check your active sessions, sign out of any unrecognised devices, change your passwords immediately and enable multi-factor authentication. Review your mailbox rules, forwarding settings and connected accounts for anything suspicious.
What to do?
We offer solutions to counteract the dangers of business email compromise and secure your communications. If clients or contacts have received strange emails from you, warn them not to click any links or follow instructions from those messages. Most importantly, act quickly before the issue leads to financial loss, data exposure or reputational damage.
How nForceIT can help:
Being proactive against business email compromise can safeguard your business’s reputation, nForceIT can help protect your business by monitoring login activity, detecting suspicious access attempts and securing compromised accounts before the problem grows. We can implement stronger access controls, including privileged access management, to reduce the risk of one compromised account exposing the wider business.
Recognising and responding to signs of business email compromise promptly can prevent major fallout. We can also set up email authentication protocols such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC to help prevent email impersonation. Through our email security audit, we can identify hidden forwarding rules, suspicious mailbox settings and security gaps, then provide a clear action plan to reduce risk and strengthen your overall email security.
Do Not Wait Until It Is Too Late
Email compromise rarely announces itself. It happens quietly while you are busy running your business.
But the signs are there if you know where to look. If anything above sounds familiar, act now. The longer a compromised account is left unaddressed, the more damage it will do to your finances, your clients and your reputation.
🔒 Think your business email might be compromised?
Book a free IT security evaluation with nForceIT today. We will review your setup and tell you exactly where your risks are. No jargon, no obligation.
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