What type of fraud involves impersonating a company's president through email?

Business email compromise is the correct type of fraud involving impersonation of a company’s president through email. In this scheme, an attacker typically gains unauthorized access to a business email account and then uses that account to deceive employees or other stakeholders into transferring money or sensitive information. The impersonation creates a sense of urgency or legitimacy, leading targets to comply with the fraudulent requests, believing they are following orders from a legitimate authority within the organization.

Fundamentally, business email compromise takes advantage of trust established within the organization and relies on social engineering techniques. The scenario described directly aligns with this type of fraud because it specifically involves impersonating a high-level corporate figure through email communication.

Other options, while relevant in the context of online security, pertain to different forms of fraudulent schemes. Pharming involves redirecting users from legitimate websites to fraudulent ones without their consent. Reverse social engineering requires the fraudster to manipulate the victim into approaching them for assistance, rather than the direct impersonation seen in business email compromise. Phishing typically refers to any attempt to acquire sensitive information via fraudulent means, often involving deceptive emails, but it encompasses a broader category of tactics, rather than the specific scenario of impersonating a company’s president within a business context.