BEC Global Insights Report October 2026

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The findings in this report come from the results of active defense engagements with BEC threat actors. Every month, Fortra Intelligence & Research Experts (FIRE) conducts hundreds of these engagements to collect comprehensive intelligence about BEC tactics and trends to help better understand how the BEC threat landscape is evolving.

The primary findings for October 2026 detailed in this report include the following:

•  During October 2026, FIRE observed a decrease of 36% in overall attack volume in comparison to the prior month.
•  Gift cards was the most common cash-out method in October, totaling 57.5% of all cash-out methods.
•  Apple Store was the most requested of all gift card types, making up 50.0% of total gift card requests.
•  FIRE identified 8 cryptocurrency-related scams and recorded 5 unique wallets used by scammers.
•  The average amount requested from BEC wire transfer attackers was $41,779 in October compared to $50,943 in September 2026.
•  63% of BEC attacks were sent from email addresses hosted on free webmail providers compared to 37% of attacks sent from maliciously registered domains.

BEC ATTACK TRENDS

During the month of October 2026, FIRE observed a decrease of 36% in overall attack volume in comparison to the prior month.

In October 2026, Gift cards remained the most prevalent BEC cash-out method, accounting for 57.5% of all attacks, followed by advanced fee frauds (22.6%) and wire transfers (12.2%).
 

GIFT CARDS

During October, Apple Store gift cards were the most frequently requested by BEC attackers, representing 50.0% of all gift card requests. Other commonly requested gift cards included Amazon (31.8%) and Sephora (4.5%).

CRYPTOCURRENCY

FIRE identified 8 cryptocurrency-related scams during October, involving 5 unique Bitcoin wallet addresses. The requested amounts ranged from $1,270.00 to $3,300.00, with an average request of $2,437.50.

BEC WIRE TRANSFERS

Wire transfer attacks increased by 16% during October 2026 compared to September 2026. The average amount requested per wire transfer attack was $41,779 in October, representing a decrease of 18% from the previous month's average of $50,943.

Analysis of requested amounts showed that 24% of wire transfer requests were under $10,000, while 46% fell between $10,000 and $50,000. Requests between $50,000 and $100,000 accounted for 27%, and 4% exceeded $100,000.

The most common bank types used for wire transfer mule accounts were major US banks (37.0%), international (non-US) banks (15.0%), and regional US banks (13.0%).
 

BEC PAYROLL DIVERSIONS

During October 2026, the most common bank types used for payroll diversion mule accounts were specialty banks (14.0%), international (non-US) banks (11.0%), and major US banks (9.0%).

The top banks used in payroll diversion attacks during October included Green Dot/Go2Bank (27%), SoFi Bank (10%), and Bank of Montreal (4%), among 51 total banks identified.

BEC INFRASTRUCTURE

In October 2026, 63% of BEC attacks were sent from free webmail providers, while 37% originated from maliciously registered domains. The use of free webmail increased compared to 60% in September 2026.

Among registered domain providers, Google was the most prevalent, accounting for 75% of the 941 maliciously registered domains identified, followed by Microsoft and Seznam.

For free webmail providers, the top three services used were Spaceship, Inc., Wild West Domains, and NameCheap, collectively representing 42% of all free webmail-based attacks.

BEC ATTACK LOCATIONS

Geographic analysis of BEC attacks during October 2026 revealed that United States was the primary source, accounting for 39% of all attacks, followed by Nigeria with 28%.

¹ Attacker locations are identified IP addresses collected by beacons that are inserted into our communications with BEC actors. IP addresses that are overtly associated with VPNs or other proxies are removed from this dataset; however, there is still a possibility that a device associated with an IP address could be used as a proxy in other ways, so the location (particularly for those outside West Africa) cannot be deemed completely definitive.