Fifth Circuit Decision Raises Uncertainty About Computer Fraud Coverage For Vendor-Impersonation E-Mail Scam

Vendor impersonation is one of the typical varieties of "Business E-mail Compromise" (BEC) scams. In spoofing the e-mail of a trusted vendor, the fraudster persuades a company to redirect its vendor payments to a fraudulent bank account. While courts have found that commercial crime policies cover loss from BEC scams, a recent Fifth Circuit decision found no coverage for the victim of a vendor-impersonation BEC scam under the computer fraud provision of the company's crime protection policy. Rejecting the company's arguments that the coverage provision was ambiguous, the court held that the fraudulent e-mail was not the cause of the fraudulent transfer. Orrick attorneys Russell Cohen, Aravind Swaminathan, and Harry Moren comment on this troubling decision at our sister blog, Trust Anchor.