Workplace Hierarchies Creating a New Fraud Risk for Australian Businesses

New research from Eftsure reveals employees feel unable to challenge suspicious payment requests from senior leaders, exposing a critical gap in many organisations’ fraud defences.

Australian organisations may be unknowingly exposed to workplace hierarchy fraud in their payment processes, with new research revealing that workplace hierarchy is preventing employees from questioning suspicious payment requests.

Workplace hierarchy is creating a hidden fraud vulnerability

A recent survey conducted by Eftsure, a leading payment fraud prevention platform, found that many employees feel unable to challenge financial requests from senior leaders, creating a hidden vulnerability within approval processes.

As a result, this reluctance to speak up can create ideal conditions for fraud, particularly as cybercriminals increasingly exploit internal communication structures through tactics such as impersonating executives or manipulating approval chains.

Employees hesitate to challenge suspicious payment requests

According to the survey:

• Only 25 per cent of employees say they feel comfortable questioning a payment request from a senior executive
• 91 per cent believe senior leadership does not fully understand how payment fraud actually occurs
• 73 per cent of employees say they lack awareness of the tools available to help prevent payment scams
• 19 per cent say organisational hierarchy specifically makes it difficult to challenge suspicious requests

Leadership blind spots are widening the risk gap

The growing disconnect between leadership awareness and frontline experience is also highlighted by the data, suggesting that many organisations may underestimate the risks within their own financial processes. Many Australians seem aware that their controls and defences may not be keeping pace with evolving fraud threats, but aren’t sure of the steps or solutions necessary to address the issue.

Fraudsters exploit pressure, authority, and urgency

Meanwhile, as cybercriminals refine their tactics, AI-powered threats are increasingly designed to exploit human behaviour and organisational structures — not just technical vulnerabilities. Payment requests that appear to come from trusted leaders create pressure to act quickly, making employees less likely to question instructions or verify details.

Internal processes are the final line of defence

Arjun Adhia, Chief Financial Officer at Eftsure, said organisations need to recognise that fraud risks often originate from vulnerabilities in their internal processes. External breaches or infiltration elsewhere in the business ecosystem can increase exposure, but ultimately, a target organisation’s controls and procedures act as the final guardrail against financial loss.

“Cybercriminals understand workplace dynamics incredibly well. They know if payment requests come through from your manager or a senior executive, employees are far more likely to feel pressure to act quickly without asking any questions,” Adhia said.

“Hierarchy can unintentionally create blind spots in payment approval processes. When employees don’t feel comfortable challenging requests from senior leaders, it creates the exact environment fraudsters are looking to exploit.”

Organisations must rethink approval and verification processes

With payment fraud continuing to rise across Australian businesses, the findings suggest organisations may need to rethink how payment approvals, verification processes, and internal communication structures operate to reduce the risk of fraud slipping through unnoticed.

About Eftsure

Eftsure is the global market leader in payment fraud prevention. Specifically designed for businesses, our end-to-end solution safeguarded more than $288b in B2B payments last year. Powered by cross-checking, we use a variety of verification methods to give businesses greater control over onboarding suppliers and making payments, and we back each verified payment with a guarantee.

In short, we ensure our customers don’t pay the wrong people.

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