A payment request can look professional and still be fraudulent. Before transferring money, slow down and independently verify where the money is going.
A familiar company name, logo, invoice or email address is not enough to prove that a payment instruction is genuine.
The most important question is whether the beneficiary, amount and reason for the payment have been independently confirmed.
Work through these checks before approving an unusual or high-impact payment.
Treat a sudden request to change the account, bank or beneficiary for an existing supplier or payment as high risk.
Confirm exactly who will receive the money. Do not rely only on the name displayed in a message or invoice.
Check the final amount before approving the transaction. Be especially careful when the amount differs from what you originally expected.
Verify unusual payment instructions through a trusted contact method that you already know, rather than using the contact details supplied in the new request.
Keep the relevant invoice, message, account details and other useful evidence until you are satisfied that the request has been independently verified.
Contact the person or organisation using a trusted phone number, existing conversation or other independent channel. Do not use only the contact information contained in the suspicious request.
VERIFY THE BENEFICIARY. VERIFY THE AMOUNT.
