Someone says the bank details changed. Should you pay the new account?
Not yet. When a payment you were about to make is redirected to a new account, stop and confirm it through a number you already have. A changed account is one of the most common ways money ends up in the wrong hands.
Two messages. One difference.
- Ordinary
- Invoice #4471 attached. Same account as last time. Thanks.
- Worth a check
- Quick note: our bank details have changed. Please send this month's payment to the new account below.
- The one difference
- The first pays a place you have paid before. The second moves the money to a new destination, on the strength of a message.
- What Hunch would say
- Worth a check. A payment is being redirected to a new account.
- Your next step
- Before you send, confirm the new details by calling the company on a number you already have, not one from this message.
- The limit
- New bank details are sometimes real. Hunch can't tell a genuine change from a fake one. A 30-second call can.
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Common questions
A supplier emailed that their bank account changed. Is it a scam?
It might be, and it might be real. Don't act on the email alone. Call them on a number you already have and confirm the new details before you pay.
The email looks exactly like our usual contact. Doesn't that mean it's them?
A familiar look isn't proof. Email accounts get taken over and details get copied. Confirm the change by voice, on a number you already trust.
I already sent a payment to a new account and now I'm unsure. What do I do?
Move fast. Call your bank right away and ask them to try to stop or recall the transfer. Then reach the real company on a number you already have. In the US you can report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov.