This statistic presents the number of seen business email compromise (BEC) scams from 2017 to 2020. According to the findings, in 2020 there was a total of 17,607 seen attempts at implementing a BEC scam, up from 13,055 at the end of 2019.
Number of seen business email compromise (BEC) scam attempts worldwide from 2017 to 2020
Trend Micro Smart Protection Network infrastructure; wider industry metrics may vary
Supplementary notes
BEC = Business Email Compromise (BEC) also known as “CEO Fraud”.
BEC is defined as a sophisticated scam targeting businesses working with foreign suppliers and/or businesses that regularly perform wire transfer payments. The scam is carried out by compromising legitimate business e-mail accounts through social engineering or computer intrusion techniques to conduct unauthorized transfers of funds.
Data refers to the number of BEC attempts seen, which does not indicate whether the attacks were successful.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Trend Micro. (February 23, 2021). Number of seen business email compromise (BEC) scam attempts worldwide from 2017 to 2020 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 30, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/820912/number-of-attempts-of-bec-scams-ceo-fraud/
Trend Micro. "Number of seen business email compromise (BEC) scam attempts worldwide from 2017 to 2020." Chart. February 23, 2021. Statista. Accessed December 30, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/820912/number-of-attempts-of-bec-scams-ceo-fraud/
Trend Micro. (2021). Number of seen business email compromise (BEC) scam attempts worldwide from 2017 to 2020. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 30, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/820912/number-of-attempts-of-bec-scams-ceo-fraud/
Trend Micro. "Number of Seen Business Email Compromise (Bec) Scam Attempts Worldwide from 2017 to 2020." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Feb 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/820912/number-of-attempts-of-bec-scams-ceo-fraud/
Trend Micro, Number of seen business email compromise (BEC) scam attempts worldwide from 2017 to 2020 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/820912/number-of-attempts-of-bec-scams-ceo-fraud/ (last visited December 30, 2024)
Number of seen business email compromise (BEC) scam attempts worldwide from 2017 to 2020 [Graph], Trend Micro, February 23, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/820912/number-of-attempts-of-bec-scams-ceo-fraud/
