A convincing payment scam does not need a suspicious attachment. It can arrive as a short email that appears to come from a supplier, owner, or employee. The request may sound routine: use a new bank account, pay an overdue invoice, or send a deposit before a deadline.
The strongest practical defense is a verification process that does not depend on how believable the message looks. Require an independent check for changes to payment instructions. Use a known phone number from your existing records, and speak with an authorized contact. A reply to the original email may simply reach the same attacker.
Decide which changes require a second approval. New payees, bank-account updates, and unusually large or urgent payments deserve explicit review. Define a backup approver for vacations so the process remains workable when the usual person is unavailable. A control that stops normal business will eventually be bypassed.
Protect the accounts involved in purchasing and finance. Use multifactor authentication, limit unnecessary access, and review unusual forwarding rules or delegated mailbox permissions with IT. Technical controls reduce opportunities for account misuse, while payment verification addresses the business decision itself.
Do not rely on spelling mistakes as the deciding factor. A fraudulent message can use accurate names, a familiar signature, and details from an earlier conversation. Employees should pay attention to the requested action, especially a change in destination, secrecy, or pressure to skip an established approval.
Make reporting fast. If someone suspects a fraudulent transfer, they should contact the bank immediately through a trusted channel and alert company leadership and IT. Preserve the message and related records. Recovery is not guaranteed, and time spent debating whether the email looks legitimate can make the situation harder.
Practice with a simple example at your next finance meeting. Walk through a supplier requesting new banking details and identify who verifies, who approves, and where the confirmation is recorded. The exercise should expose unclear responsibilities before a real request does.
Ask InnerDigital to help review the email security and account controls supporting your payment approval process.