Fake invoices and payment redirection

Why this matters

Invoice fraud often combines a real supplier identity with changed bank details, altered email addresses or urgent payment pressure. Process discipline is the strongest defence.

By the end of this lesson

• Recognise the main warning signs
• Choose a safe verification method
• Know when and how to report the situation

What to notice

• New bank account details in email
• Sender domain differs slightly from the supplier
• Urgent request to avoid late fees
• Invoice number or purchase order is inconsistent
• Reply-to address differs from sender
• Unexpected currency or beneficiary
• Request to keep the change confidential

What to do

• Verify bank changes using a known phone number
• Use dual approval for payment changes
• Compare against supplier master data
• Do not use contact details from the suspicious email
• Pause urgent payments until independently verified
• Report attempted fraud