Chinese supplier wants payment to a personal account?
Hold the payment. Independently verify the seller, account holder and instruction, then request written authority tied to your invoice. Keep unresolved identity mismatches on hold and ask for a verified business account instead. For help checking the supplier in China, contact Cambridge China Bridge.
Hold payment and identify the mismatch
An owner's personal account introduces a separate recipient from the business issuing your invoice. Do not approve it just because the salesperson says the owner controls the factory. Record the invoicing company's name, proposed account holder, bank details and explanation for the request. Keep the original invoice and message.
Our supplier verification guide covers the underlying company checks. This additional check asks whether the verified seller has actually authorised this person to receive payment for your order.
Verify outside the payment request
Contact the supplier through a previously verified channel, rather than a number or link supplied with the request. The government's Stop! Think Fraud guidance advises confirming both old and new account details using a known phone number. For a new supplier, establish a contact independently before treating its confirmation as evidence.
Ask a verified company contact responsible for payments to confirm the instruction. Separately ask for bank-issued evidence showing the account holder and relevant account details, with unrelated information concealed. A salesperson's screenshot, an identity document or a successful test transfer alone does not establish the company's authority to use that account.
Request invoice-specific authority
Ask for a dated company authorisation naming the seller, personal account holder, bank account, invoice reference, amount and currency. It should explain the recipient's relationship to the seller and why a personal account is proposed. Ask the seller to confirm explicitly that it will credit payment to that account against the identified invoice and issue a company receipt.
Identify the signatory and their role, then verify the authorisation through the independent company contact. A stamp or signature alone is not enough for your payment approval. Keep this as evidence to assess, rather than assuming the document guarantees recovery or resolves every contractual question. Use the proforma invoice guide to check the invoice details.
Keep unresolved identities on hold
Compare the seller's registered name, invoice name, authorising company and bank beneficiary. Ask for original-language names and a written explanation of any transliteration difference. A different individual, unexplained company name or contradictory account document remains an unresolved mismatch.
Do not let urgency, familiarity or a revised invoice replace verification. Tell the supplier what evidence is missing and keep payment on hold until it is resolved. If the proposed arrangement changes who sells the goods or receives credit for payment, obtain advice on the actual documents before approving it. Our supplier email compromise guide covers suspicious payment instructions.
Ask for a verified business-account alternative
Write: “Please provide a business account in the invoicing company's name, together with bank-issued account evidence and an updated payment instruction. We will verify the details independently before releasing payment.” If a related trading company is proposed, check that company and its documented relationship to the seller instead of treating it as an automatic solution.
Recheck the replacement details and retain the evidence, verification notes and internal approval with the invoice. Cambridge China Bridge has its own staff in China and can help review the supplier and documents through a quote check. Requesting authority is a check, not a commitment to accept a personal account.
Frequently asked questions
Should I pay a Chinese supplier's owner personally?
Hold payment while you independently verify the seller, account holder and invoice-specific authority. Ask for a verified business account if the personal-account arrangement remains unclear.
Is a stamped payment authorisation enough?
No. Verify who signed it, their role and the company's confirmation through an independent contact. Match it to the invoice and bank evidence before considering approval.
Does a small test payment prove the account is safe?
No. It may show that the account receives money, but does not establish the seller's authority for that recipient or confirm how the seller will credit your invoice.
What if the supplier refuses a business account?
Keep payment on hold, record the refusal and request the missing evidence. If identities or authority remain unresolved, do not release payment; review whether to continue the order.