June 2025 retrospective · Added November 13, 2026.
The FBI’s 2024 Internet Crime Report, released in April 2025, recorded 859,532 complaints and approximately $16.6 billion in reported losses. These are losses reported to IC3, not a complete census of all cybercrime.
Why the numbers matter to a business
For a business owner, the concern is not limited to a computer becoming infected. A convincing message can influence a payment, expose sensitive information, or misuse the trust between a company and its suppliers. Email security therefore belongs in both the IT discussion and the finance discussion.
A familiar name, an existing conversation, or an urgent request should not substitute for an established approval process. Fraud prevention works best when staff know exactly how to verify an exception.
Make verification part of the workflow
Confirm bank-detail changes using a previously verified contact method, not the number supplied in the request.
Separate the person requesting a payment change from the person approving it.
Give employees a simple way to report suspicious messages without embarrassment.
Review access to finance mailboxes and the ability to create forwarding rules.
Our business takeaway
Technical protection and business procedure need to reinforce one another. Filtering suspicious messages matters, but so do account protection, visibility into unusual activity, and a practiced response when something looks wrong.
If a fraudulent transfer is suspected, time matters. Contact the financial institution promptly, involve the incident-response lead, preserve the relevant messages, and report the incident through the appropriate channels. Do not assume that sending another email will resolve an active compromise.
Explore Proper Access business email and cybersecurity protection.
Sources: FBI’s 2024 report announcement; FBI reporting and response guidance.
