November 03, 2025
The Real Cost of a "Holiday Shortcut"
The holiday season should be a time for celebrating milestones and giving your team a well-earned break. But for too many Richmond-area businesses, December brings something else entirely — a spike in cybercrime.
Last year, a U.S. company lost over $60 million to a sophisticated holiday wire-transfer scam. The attackers didn't use advanced malware — they used timing, trust, and a convincing email that looked like it came from the CEO.
And it's not just a national story. Here in Richmond, the city's own IT department faced a data breach last year that exposed employee emails — proof that even well-resourced organizations can fall for the wrong click at the wrong time. If it can happen to local government, it can happen to any business under holiday pressure.
Why Holiday Scams Work So Well
During November and December, inboxes fill up, staff rotate time off, and people multitask more than ever. Attackers count on that.
- Accounting teams rush to close the books.
- Admins process vendor invoices under pressure.
- Executives delegate approvals while traveling or working remotely.
That's the perfect environment for a Business Email Compromise (BEC) — where an email looks like it came from your CFO, CEO, or trusted vendor.
And scammers are getting smarter. Many now use AI tools to mimic writing styles, or spoof local domains that look just like your company's address.
How Richmond Businesses Are Being Targeted
According to the FBI's Richmond field office, reports of BEC and payment diversion scams have increased significantly in the past 12 months — particularly among small professional services firms, local manufacturers, and healthcare offices.
Here's what we're seeing across the Richmond business community:
- Gift card scams targeting law offices and medical practices, often disguised as "client thank-you requests."
- Vendor invoice fraud that mimics legitimate local suppliers.
- Payroll redirection scams, where employees' paychecks are rerouted during the holidays.
It's not just Fortune 500s. These scams are hitting Main Street businesses in Glen Allen, Short Pump, and Midlothian — the very companies that make Richmond's economy run.
The Pain Behind the Numbers
For executives, a cyber incident during the holidays doesn't just cost money — it costs peace of mind.
- The CFO who has to tell the board why controls failed.
- The business owner explaining to clients that data may have been exposed.
- The team losing trust after a single mistake snowballs into a major loss.
It's easy to assume "that won't happen to us" — until it does.
But here's the truth: you can't stop every attack, but you can stop most of them before they start — with awareness, testing, and the right safeguards in place.
How to Protect Your Richmond Business Before the Holidays
- The Two-Person Rule: Any transaction above your set threshold requires verbal confirmation through a separate channel. A quick phone call across the office can stop a six-figure loss.
- Gift Card Policy: Put it in writing — no gift cards requested or approved via e-mail or text. Many Central Virginia scams start with a "client appreciation" message that looks harmless.
- Vendor Verification: Confirm all banking or payment changes by phone using numbers already on file. Local scammers have been known to impersonate real Richmond suppliers during year-end chaos.
- Multifactor Authentication: Enable MFA on all e-mail, banking, and cloud accounts. It remains one of the simplest and strongest defenses against account takeovers.
- Holiday Awareness: Brief your team on these five scams with real examples. A 10-minute reminder before everyone heads out can save your business from an expensive post-holiday surprise.
Why It Matters Right Here in Richmond
Richmond's business ecosystem — from law firms downtown to manufacturers in Chesterfield — thrives on relationships and trust. That same trust is what scammers exploit most.
The FBI's Internet Crime Report ranks Virginia among the top 10 states for business email compromise losses, and local incidents are rising faster than the national average. For a city as connected and collaborative as ours, that's a call to action.
Stay One Step Ahead
You've built your business on reputation and reliability — don't let a single email undo that.
BEL Network Integration & Support (BELNIS) has been protecting Richmond-area businesses for over 30 years, helping executives turn cybersecurity from a stress point into a strength. From phishing training and compliance monitoring to 24/7 threat detection, we make sure your defenses don't take a holiday when you do.
Ready to See Where You Stand?
I'd like to personally invite you to a quick 15-minute consult. Not to sell, but to diagnose. Let's see if your defenses are holding — or waiting to crack.
