Have you ever received an email from senior management to your work or personal email that doesn’t quite look right? Been asked to contact them on WhatsApp on a number you don’t recognise, or asked to quickly run out and buy gift cards? These are all textbook examples of Social Engineering.
Social engineering is a form of cyber-attack; cybercriminals use psychological manipulation to trick individuals into divulging confidential information or performing actions that compromise security. Social Engineering is dangerous as cybercriminals exploit human error rather than technical vulnerabilities. A single successfully fooled victim can provide enough information to trigger an attack that can affect an entire organisation.
CEO Fraud: The basics
CEO Fraud is a form of Social Engineering and it’s the act of persuading staff into making urgent payments, or to transfer funds. With Cybercriminals posing as CEOs, as well as typically senior members of staff such as Operations or Finance. They will typically send an initial email saying they are busy in meetings and need an urgent favour, then follow on to ask for financial information, or bank transfers, or highly sensitive information to drain money from the business.
These cyber-attacks typically come through an email, that most of the time is similar to the person they are pretending to be. They will use the same sender’s name and manipulate email headers to avoid detection.
These Cybercriminals conduct thorough research on their victims through company websites or platforms like LinkedIn to gather information about senior management structure and company procedures to perform Social Engineering. This helps them create a more convincing email that appears to be legitimate. Marketers are often the public face of a brand, and that makes them prime targets for impersonation of CEO Fraud. Training teams to recognise and report fraudulent communications is as important as tracking campaign performance.
Attackers may use psychological manipulation to coerce you. Using tactics such as threats to your job security, question your loyalty to the company and intimidate you into bypassing normal security procedures which is why CEO Fraud is one of the most used Social Engineering acts.
No longer email attacks
These Cybercriminals are only getting more intelligent; this year there has been an increased number of complaints being made regarding visual conference impersonation. Cybercriminals are now using the likes of teams or zoom to lure their victims into making bank transfers to these fraudulent accounts.
Employees are receiving emails with a link to join a Teams or Zoom call, the cyber attacker is using a headshot of the CEO as their profile picture then blaming the lack of video due to a camera issue, then instructing their victim to send a payment immediately. However, Cybercriminals are now taking it a step further. They are using AI to clone realistic images, audio and video of the person they are trying to impersonate using deepfake technology. With the way the technology is evolving rapidly it is to be believed that deepfake technology could become undetectable. If deepfake technology can make it harder to tell real from fake in cybersecurity, imagine the impact on brand communications. In an age of AI-generated content, authenticity and transparency aren’t just marketing buzzwords, they’re your defence against doubt.
CEO fraud and deepfake technology scams reveal one core truth: people trust people, not platforms. Your audience, whether it’s employees, customers, or clients connects with authenticity. When that’s compromised, even once, credibility collapses.
For brands, this is a wake-up call. The line between communication and manipulation is thinner than ever. The same storytelling and emotional cues that can inspire loyalty can also be twisted to deceive.
How can companies defend themselves against CEO Fraud?
CEO fraud is becoming more sophisticated each day, and often these cyber attackers are hiding in plain slight using IP addresses that have high reputation scores.
Companies need to ensure that they have the right education and training in place to ensure their employees know the steps to take if they receive any form of CEO fraud. CEO fraud solely relies on human deception to succeed, so it is important that employees are trained to not trust anything at face value, but to report anything they believe is even slightly suspicious.
If any suspicious email activity comes across you can forward it to report@phising.gov.uk this goes directly to the National Cyber Security Centre where they will investigate and potentially prevent further scams.
Final Thoughts
CEO fraud might sound like a cybersecurity issue, and it is, but at its heart, it’s about human psychology, influence, and trust. That’s what makes it relevant to marketers.
Just like cybercriminals use social engineering to manipulate emotions and create urgency, great marketing uses those same psychological triggers, but with honesty and authenticity. The difference lies in intent and integrity.
As technology continues to blur the lines between real and fake, the brands that will stand out are those that stay transparent, consistent, and human in every interaction.
At fatBuzz, we understand both sides of that equation. Working alongside the Cyber Resilience Centres, we’ve seen first-hand how trust can be built, or broken, through communication. That’s why we help brands create marketing that not only connects but also protects; campaigns rooted in authenticity, integrity, and digital awareness.
Because in a world full of fakes, genuine marketing is your strongest defence.