Guide · Invoice fraud
Invoice with different bank details: what to do now?
An email from a regular supplier: "We have changed banks, could you please pay to this new account from now on?" Or an invoice that looks normal, but with a different IBAN. This is one of the most common forms of fraud between businesses.
How does invoice fraud with a different bank account work?
Short answer: the fraudster has gained access to the supplier’s mailbox, or creates an email address that looks almost the same. He waits for a real invoice, changes only the bank account and forwards it. Sometimes the amount, invoice number and layout are exactly right, because it is a real invoice. See also Fake emails, invoices and bank details.
How do I check a new bank account?
- Do not pay straight away. A change of bank account is never so urgent that you cannot check it first.
- Call the supplier on a number you already had or look up yourself on the official website. Never via the number in the email with the new account.
- Ask for someone you know and have them confirm the new account number out loud.
- Look at your bank’s name check. Banks in the EU show for euro transfers whether the name matches the IBAN, and UK banks offer Confirmation of Payee. With "no match" or "close match": stop.
- Compare with earlier invoices: sender address, font, logo and spelling. Small differences are a signal.
- Watch the country of the bank. A supplier that suddenly gives an account in another country deserves extra checking.
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What are the signs of invoice fraud?
- The bank account has changedwithout any prior discussion.
- There is urgency or secrecy"please pay today", or "don’t call, we are in an audit".
- The email address is slightly offfrom the supplier’s usual address.
- The account is in a different namethan the supplier’s.
- The invoice is an image or scanned PDFwhile you normally receive a PDF from an accounting package.
Already paid? What do I do right away?
- Call your bank immediately and ask them to recall or block the payment. The faster, the better the chance.
- Warn the real supplier. Their mailbox may have been hacked and there may be more victims.
- Report it to the police and keep the emails, with full sender details.
- Change your passwords and have your own mailbox checked for a takeover too.
Let Safetybizz check it
SafetyBizz checks whether an IBAN, email address and domain fit the company in the register, and whether an invoice was edited afterwards. So you see before you pay whether something is wrong.
Frequently asked questions
My supplier has a new bank account, what should I do?
Do not pay straight away. Call the supplier on a number you already had or look up yourself, and have the new account confirmed by someone you know. Never use the phone number from the email with the new account.
How do I recognise a fake invoice?
Watch for a changed bank account, a different email address, urgency, an account in another name or another country, and small differences from earlier invoices. Also check the name check your bank shows with the transfer.
I have already paid to a fake account, what now?
Call your bank immediately to recall or block the payment, warn the real supplier, report it to the police and keep all emails. Then change your passwords.
Read also
- Fake emails, invoices and bank details
- Checking a company before you do business
- Is this company reliable?
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This page is general information and not legal advice.