The message appears to come from the business owner: I’m heading into a meeting, but I need you to handle something quickly. Pick up ten gift cards for client appreciation. Don’t call—I’ll explain later.

The employee wants to be helpful. The request sounds urgent. And questioning the boss can feel awkward. That combination is exactly what the scammer is counting on.

How Executive Impersonation Scams Are Evolving

Executive impersonation scams aren’t new. Criminals have long used spoofed email addresses or compromised accounts to pose as owners, managers and other senior employees.

What has changed is how convincing they can be.

Information from company websites and social media can help scammers imitate an executive’s writing style, reference real employees or mention an actual business event. Artificial intelligence may also be used to generate a believable voice message—or even a video call that appears to feature someone the employee knows.

While the technology may be sophisticated, the request usually isn’t. Gift cards remain attractive because they are widely available, difficult to trace and nearly impossible to recover once the card numbers or PINs have been shared. 

The same tactics may also be used to request wire transfers, changes to vendor payment information or access to sensitive company data.

Watch For Pressure, Secrecy and Unusual Payment Methods

These scams often rely less on hacking technology than on manipulating human behavior. Common warning signs include:

• A request that must be completed immediately
• Instructions not to call or discuss the request with anyone
• An unusual purchase or payment method
• A request to send photos of gift card numbers or PINs
• A last-minute change to a vendor’s banking information
• A message that bypasses normal approval procedures
• Slightly unusual wording, tone or contact information

Any one of these may have an innocent explanation. Several appearing together should trigger a timeout.

Create a Process for Verifying Payment Requests

Employees shouldn’t have to decide whether they trust a message—or whether they are brave enough to challenge the person who supposedly sent it. Businesses can remove that pressure by establishing a simple verification policy.

Before acting on an unexpected financial request, employees might be instructed to:

1. Pause before purchasing or paying. Urgency should increase scrutiny, not eliminate it.
2. Verify through a second channel. If the request arrived by email, call the person using a number already in the company directory. Don’t use a phone number or link contained in the suspicious message. They could be fake.
3. Require a second approval. Purchases, transfers or banking changes above a set amount may require confirmation from another authorized employee.
4. Use an internal verification phrase. A familiar question or rotating code word can help confirm unusual requests, particularly when voice or video impersonation is a concern.
5. Document the request. Keeping a record makes it easier to investigate an attempted scam and alert other employees.

The policy should apply to everyone—including owners and senior executives. 

Build a Workplace Culture That Encourages Verification

Employees should know that verifying a strange request is responsible, not insubordinate. Leaders can reinforce that message by responding positively when someone pauses to confirm an instruction.

Occasional reminders can also keep the risk visible. Share examples during staff meetings, include verification procedures in onboarding and run brief practice scenarios. Employees don’t need to become cybersecurity experts. They simply need to recognize when a request falls outside the ordinary.

When The Boss Really Does Want Gift Cards

Sometimes the owner genuinely needs ten gift cards before lunch. A quick phone call, established approval process or known verification phrase can confirm that the request is legitimate. That extra minute may feel inconvenient. But it’s still much easier than explaining why someone just sent $2,000 worth of gift card numbers to an imposter.