Business owners receive a lot of email about invoices and payments, and fraudsters know it. A fake invoice or a 'payment failed' email is quick to create. Watch out for these six signs.
1. Urgency
'Pay within 24 hours', 'your account will be blocked'. Putting you under pressure is the best-known trick. A genuine organisation gives you time.
2. A suspicious sender address
Check the actual email address, not just the name. A bank does not email from a free email address or an odd domain with extra letters.
3. A link that leads somewhere else
Hover over a link (or press and hold it on your phone) and check the address. If the domain doesn't match, don't click.
4. A changed bank account number
A familiar supplier suddenly sends 'a new IBAN'? Call them on the number you already had, not the number in the email.
5. An unexpected attachment
An invoice you weren't expecting, as a zip file or with macros? Don't open it. Genuine invoices can usually also be viewed in a portal.
6. Requests for login details or codes
No bank or service will ever ask for your password or a login code by email or phone. Never.
Already clicked?
Change the password for the account in question straight away, switch on two-step verification and contact your bank if payment details are involved. Not sure? Forward the email to us and we'll take a look with you.
