When a fraudulent scheme involves redirecting payroll funds into a new account via email, what type of fraud is this?

The situation described involves a fraudulent scheme where payroll funds are redirected into a new account through email manipulation. This aligns with the concept of business email compromise (BEC), which typically involves the unauthorized use of email to deceive individuals or organizations, particularly with the intent to facilitate financial fraud. In these schemes, cybercriminals often impersonate executives or trusted partners and request changes to payment details, resulting in the misdirection of funds.

Business email compromise is characterized by its focus on exploiting trusted communications, often using social engineering tactics to convince victims to comply with fraudulent requests. The nature of this fraud relies heavily on the email channel, making it uniquely suited to fit within the BEC classification.

In contrast, the other options represent different types of cyber-related crimes. A data breach refers to unauthorized access to confidential data, while phishing typically involves deceiving individuals into providing sensitive information through fraudulent communications. Identity theft involves stealing someone's personal information to impersonate them for fraudulent gains. Each of these lacks the specific contextual elements tied to the manipulation of payroll processes via email that defines business email compromise.