Vendor Email Compromise Scam
Criminals compromise vendor email accounts to send fake invoices with changed payment details. Payments go to scammer accounts.
🚩 Red Flags
- ⚠Vendor requests payment info change via email
- ⚠Different "reply-to" than display address
- ⚠Urgency around payment deadline
- ⚠Bank account in different country than vendor
- ⚠Changes close to payment due date
🛡️ Protect Yourself
- →VERIFY all banking changes by phone
- →USE known contact numbers, not email signatures
- →IMPLEMENT dual approval for payment changes
- →CHECK email headers for spoofing
- →TRAIN finance team on BEC tactics
More Details
- “Please update our banking information”
- “We've changed banks — new wire details attached”
- “Invoice #12345 — please use new account”
- “ACH details have been updated”
- “Pay to our new account for faster processing”
Common Questions
Your data (SSN, credit card, passwords) may be sold on dark web. Monitor credit, change passwords, watch for phishing using your leaked info.
You can, but payouts are usually small ($5-50). Focus on protection: freeze credit, change passwords, enable 2FA.
Check haveibeenpwned.com, watch for breach notification emails, and search "[company name] data breach 2024".
Notify affected individuals, offer credit monitoring, report to authorities, and strengthen security to prevent recurrence.
Report This Scam
If you've encountered this scam, report it to help protect others.
Warn Someone You Know
Know someone who might fall for this? Share this warning with them.
Related Scams
CEO Wire Transfer Fraud (BEC)
Criminals impersonate executives to trick finance employees into wiring money. FBI IC3: 21,442 complaints in 2024, $2.77 billion in losses.
Payroll Diversion Scam
Criminals impersonate employees to change direct deposit information. Paychecks are diverted to scammer accounts.
Invoice Redirect Fraud
Scammers intercept legitimate invoices and alter payment details. Businesses pay for real services but money goes to criminals.
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73% of Americans targeted(Pew, 2025)
|$470M lost to text scams in 2024(FTC)
|$16.6B total losses(FBI IC3, 2024)