Imitation: Flattery or Fraud?

Tell-tale signs of the hacker persona known as “The Impersonator”

If a business associate is asking for payment on an invoice, are they really who they say they are? Is the financial expert offering to double your investment actually legit? The truth is, you can’t be too sure. Cybercriminals are using more sophisticated attacks that trick targets into thinking fraudulent emails are from legitimate personal or business contacts. This type of hacker persona is known as “The Impersonator,” and he has a few highly manipulative tricks up his sleeve:

• Business email compromise (BEC) – A request for a wire transfer or payment doesn’t stand out initially but it actually comes from a modified, fraudulent email address

• Domain and website spoofing – Targets are redirected to legitimate-looking websites where they end up mistakenly entering sensitive data

• Deep fakes and AI-driven attacks – Criminals use altered media where a person’s image or voice is replaced with a virtually identical fake with the intent to deceive

Want to learn more about the tricks impersonators use to steal data from unsuspecting targets? Fill out this form to download this special Hacker Persona white paper on “The Impersonator.”