Efforts to stop international business email schemes

The FBI has posted the results of Operation reWired, a months-long, multi-agency effort to disrupt and dismantle international business email compromise (BEC) schemes. These sophisticated cyber-enabled scams often target employees with access to company finances and—using methods like social engineering and computer intrusions—trick them into making wire transfers to bank accounts thought to belong to trusted partners. The accounts are actually controlled by the criminals.

Operation reWired resulted in 281 arrests, including 74 in the United States. Arrests were also made in Nigeria, Turkey, Ghana, France, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom. The sweep resulted in the seizure of nearly $3.7 million and the disruption and recovery of approximately $118 million in fraudulent wire transfers.