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Australian organisations may be leaving themselves exposed to payment fraud, with research revealing that workplace hierarchy is preventing employees from questioning suspicious payment requests.
A survey conducted by payment fraud prevention platform Eftsure found that many employees feel unable to challenge financial requests from senior leaders, creating a vulnerability within approval processes.
Only 25 per cent of employees indicated they feel comfortable questioning a payment request from a senior executive. Meanwhile, 19 per cent of respondents pointed to organisational hierarchy as a specific barrier to challenging suspicious requests.
The reluctance to speak up can create conditions for fraud, particularly as cybercriminals increasingly exploit internal communication structures through tactics such as impersonating executives or manipulating approval chains.
Leadership awareness gap
The survey also pointed to a disconnect between leadership awareness and frontline experience. Some 91 per cent of respondents believe senior leadership does not fully understand how payment fraud actually occurs.
At the same time, 73 per cent of employees indicated they lack awareness of the tools available to help prevent payment scams.
The data suggests that many organisations may underestimate the risks within their own financial processes. While many Australian workers appear aware that their controls and defences may not be keeping pace with evolving fraud threats, they are not sure of the steps or solutions necessary to address the issue.
AI-powered threats
As cybercriminals refine their tactics, AI-powered threats are increasingly designed to exploit human behaviour and organisational structures rather than just technical vulnerabilities. Payment requests that appear to come from trusted leaders can create pressure to act quickly, making employees less likely to question instructions or verify details.
Eftsure Chief Financial Officer, Arjun Adhia, explained that 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 put them at risk, but ultimately it is a target organisation’s controls and procedures that act as a 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 the pressure to act quickly without asking any questions,” Adhia commented.
“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.”
Rethinking approval 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.
The research points to a need for organisations to build cultures where employees feel empowered to question payment requests regardless of who they appear to come from, and to ensure staff are aware of the fraud prevention tools available to them.
Last Updated on April 7, 2026 by Nick Ross
