FBI says BEC attacks in 2018 resulted in losses of more than $12.5 billion. FBI: BEC scams in 2018 were more than double the losses accrued in 2017, which harbored a $5 billion scam. In many cases, scammers are using social engineering to imitate higher-level executives to trick unsuspecting victims into performing various activities, including opening malware-riddled attachments or transferring payments to suspicious accounts. Attacks against shipping industry, known for its lax security measures, are proving to be rampant.
Source: https://threatpost.com/shipping-execs-whaling/140643/