Beware of fake supplier scam

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How it works

This scam mainly targets businesses. After hijacking the email address of one of a business's main suppliers, the fraudster requests that payments to the supplier be made to a new account. The legitimate supplier never receives the payments.

Risks

  • After hijacking the email address of a business's supplier, the fraudster has all the information they need to put a scam in place.
  • The targeted business only realizes that the payment was made to a fake supplier later on.

Prevention tips

  1. Train your staff

    Staff members in charge of a business's finances must be aware of scams and know how to deal with them.

  2. Bank securely with your suppliers and clients

    Keep an eye out for banking information change requests and overpayment requests from suppliers.

    • Confirm all banking information change requests by calling your suppliers at the numbers you have on file.
  3. Establish a thorough payment procedure

    A written payment procedure should be kept on file and only be accessible to authorized employees.

    • Identify the staff members who are authorized to make payments.

What to remember

  • Establish a payment request confirmation procedure.
  • Determine the maximum transaction amount for authorized employees.
  • Any transaction that exceeds the limit you have set must be approved by a manager.
  • Perform regular checks to ensure that all authorized staff understands and follows the procedure.
  • When in doubt, end the conversation and contact the supplier who made the request.

What to do if you have been scammed