Fraud type · Clone

Spotting a clone company: when someone poses as an existing business

You look the company up: active, proper address, in business for years, solid figures. Everything checks out. And still you are delivering to a fraudster. That is the strength of a clone.

SafetyBizz Knowledge base · updated 16 October 2026 · 6 min read

What is a clone company?

With a clone, the fraudster does not set up a new company. He borrows the identity of one that already exists and has a good name. The name, address, registration and VAT number are real. What is not real: the email address, the phone number, the person you deal with and the bank account.

Because the basics check out, clones succeed so often. Checking whether a company exists gives a reassuring answer. The real question is: does the person on the other end actually belong to that company?

What the fraudster wants

Goods on credit. He orders large quantities from new suppliers. Because the “company” has a good credit score, he gets payment terms. The goods go elsewhere and the invoice ends up with the real company, which knows nothing.
A payment. He sends invoices or offers in the real company's name, with his own bank account.
A load. In logistics he poses as haulier or shipper to get hold of cargo. See also Spotting a fake carrier.

Real company or clone? Where the difference lies

Detail	Real company	Clone
Name, address, number	Matches the register	Also matches (copied)
Credit score	Good	Good (the real company's)
Email address	Domain of the official website	Similar, slightly off, or free address
Website	Online for years	Copied, domain registered recently
Phone	Landline, also on the official site	Mobile or internet number only
Contact person	Known to the company	Not in management, unknown to the company
Bank account	In the company's name, home country	Other name or other country
Delivery address	Own premises	Warehouse, storage or address elsewhere

Good credit score, still a red code. A credit score tells you whether a company can pay. It does not tell you whether you are talking to that company.

9 red flags

A large company orders from you as a new supplierwithout prior contact, and wants fast delivery.
The email address does not belong to the official websiteor the domain is only weeks old.
Nobody answers the landlinefrom the register or the official website.
The contact is not in managementand has no trace online.
The delivery address is not the company's premisesbut storage, a warehouse or another country.
The bank account is not in the company's nameor is held in another country.
Documents look slightly differentfrom earlier papers of the same company.
Urgencyand an order larger than usual for a first deal.
Recently changed register detailssuch as a new address or director just before the order.

One red flag is not proof. If you see two or more, stop and check further first.

Checklist: how to unmask a clone

Look the company up in the official register and note address, directors and recent changes.
Find the official website and landline yourself, not from the email or signature you received.
Call that number and ask whether your contact works there and whether the order is theirs.
Compare email address and website domain and check the domain's age.
Check the VAT number in VIES and whether name and address match.
Check the bank account is in the company's name before paying or delivering on credit.
Deliver a first order only to the registered address or against prepayment.

What to do if it goes wrong

Stop delivering and paying, and do not alert the fraudster.
Warn the real company: its name is being misused, and you are often not the only victim.
Report it to the police and keep all emails, documents and details.
Already shipped? Contact the haulier to stop the shipment if possible.

Let Safetybizz check it

Safetybizz puts the register data next to what you received: email, domain, phone, contact person, bank account and documents. If anything differs, you see exactly where, with a green, orange or red code.

See SafetyBizz

Frequently asked questions

What is a clone company?

Not a real company, but a fraudster posing as an existing, reliable one, using its name, registration and VAT number with his own email, phone and bank account.

Why doesn't a register check stop a clone?

Because the cloned company really exists. The register confirms it is active, not that the person emailing you works there. Check contact details, domain and bank account separately.

What should I do if I suspect a clone?

Stop delivering and paying. Call the real company on the number from the register or official website, and report it if there is damage. Warn the real company too.

Read also

This page is general information and not legal advice.