By: Lisa Butler at Valley Bank
As Central Alabama’s business environment grows, fraud risk grows with it. According to the FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report, Alabama residents and companies reported more than $167 million in losses to cybercrime, reinforcing that cybersecurity is no longer just a back-office IT responsibility. It’s a prerequisite for business growth.
Manufacturing, healthcare, construction and professional services industries are increasingly targeted by business email compromise (BEC), payroll diversion schemes and vendor payment fraud. These scams impersonate local executives, trusted vendors or even community banks, making them harder to detect in close-knit business environments.
Cybercriminals often target people, not systems, making human judgment one of the best lines of defense. Business leaders can help protect their organizations by empowering employees to recognize fraud attempts in real time.
1| SLOW DOWN
Most fraud attempts can be prevented by taking a 60-second pause before acting. For example, Business Email Compromise can be spotted by confirming the sender’s email address. Bad actors rely on recipients being in a rush and missing small details like a typo or single character difference.
2| LOOK FOR MANUFACTURED URGENCY
Cybercriminals use urgency to bypass logical thinking and force a quick response before the receiver can think about the validity of the request.
Remember, a bank or financial institution will never ask for confidential information through email or text message. If the email impersonates your manager or CEO, call them directly to confirm the request is legitimate.
3| CLICK WITH CAUTION
Links and attachments are a primary entry point for phishing and ransomware attacks, malicious software that can lock files and hold them for ransom. If an unknown sender shares a link or attachment, don’t click it. Contact the sender by phone instead.
4| DO YOUR RESEARCH
Common scams include vendor payment changes, fake invoices, payroll diversion, charitable donation requests, gift card requests and executive impersonation.
LEVERAGE YOUR RESOURCES
A culture of security begins at the top. When leadership acknowledges fraud prevention as a strategic priority rather than a checkbox, that attitude is distributed throughout the organization.
A Central Alabama manufacturing client nearly fell victim to a payment diversion scheme. Since we previously worked with their team to strengthen internal controls, their accounting manager paused before processing the payment and called the vendor using a trusted number already on file.
That step revealed the request was fraudulent. By taking a moment to verify, the client avoided what could have been a six-figure loss.
Valley’s treasury solutions team helps businesses understand today’s evolving fraud environment and implement tools to better protect their accounts, payments and people. Contact your local branch to explore business fraud mitigation services.
