BEC fraud of €4m at shipping company: two foreign nationals charged
Two foreign nationals are charged with Business Email Compromise fraud against a Greek shipping company, with €4m in damages that were fully recovered.
BEC-type fraud at shipping company: €4m transferred to account in Bulgaria
The Cybercrime Prosecution Division of the Hellenic Police has brought charges against two foreign nationals for Business Email Compromise (BEC) fraud totalling €4,000,000, according to reports from Google News GR — Crime (el). This concerns the legal entity that appears as the beneficial owner of the bank account into which the funds were transferred, as well as the individual associated with its management.
The charges they face relate to fraud by computer of particularly large value, as well as illegal access to an information system.
How the attack was carried out
The case was uncovered in August 2025, when a representative of a Greek shipping company filed a report with the police. According to the investigation, unknown perpetrators obtained illegal access to electronic correspondence between the company and a cooperating bank abroad. Using a deceptive email address that mimicked the corporate one, as well as fraudulent payment instructions, they succeeded in transferring the €4,000,000 to a bank account of a company based in Bulgaria.
Full recovery of funds
In a coordinated operation, officials from the Cybercrime Prosecution Division cooperated with the Financial Crime Suppression Authority, the International Police Cooperation Division (Europol Department) and the involved banking institutions. Initial provisional freezing of the funds was achieved and subsequently their full recovery, preventing fragmentation and further transfer to third-party accounts. The case file was submitted to the competent prosecutorial authority.
The profile of BEC fraud
BEC-type fraud is internationally listed among the most widespread forms of targeted electronic fraud against businesses. Perpetrators obtain access to or impersonate corporate email accounts, monitor communication between companies for an extended period, and intervene at a critical stage of financial transactions, modifying bank account details.
The police emphasise that timely recognition and reporting of the incident was a decisive factor in the successful recovery of all the money.
Source: Google News GR — Crime (el)