Supplier bank transfer fraud: what to do now
Contact your bank immediately through a trusted channel and ask for an urgent fraud recall. Pause further payments, preserve the original messages and transfer records, and report the fraud. Verify the supplier independently before restarting payment. Supplier checks in China can be supported by Cambridge China Bridge.
Call the bank before investigating the supplier
Use your bank’s app, card or existing statement to find its contact details. Say that a supplier payment was fraudulently redirected, or explain the suspected fraud precisely. Ask the fraud team to stop any pending transfer or attempt an urgent recall of a completed transfer. Do not wait for the supplier to explain or for your evidence file to be complete.
Give the payment date, amount, currency, transaction reference, beneficiary name, account details and receiving bank. Ask whether the bank can alert the receiving bank and request that remaining funds be held. Record the case reference, what action was requested, what was actually done and how to obtain an update. A recall request is not confirmation that money has returned.
Preserve originals and contain the incident
Save original emails with full headers and attachments, chat exports, invoices, contracts, bank-detail change requests and transfer confirmations. Keep screenshots alongside originals. Write a timeline separating what you observed from what you suspect, including when the account change arrived, who approved payment and when you discovered the problem. Keep an untouched copy in a restricted folder.
Tell finance staff to pause payments to the affected supplier and check queued payments using the same details. Ask your technical support team to preserve mailbox and access logs, investigate forwarding rules and secure affected accounts. Contact the genuine supplier through a previously verified channel. A convincing message inside an existing email thread does not establish who sent it.
Report the fraud separately from the recall
Report the fraud through Report Fraud online. In Scotland, report it to Police Scotland instead. Use the official service found independently, rather than a link sent by someone offering recovery help. Reporting and the bank recall are separate actions: keep pursuing the bank request while preparing your report.
Provide the contact details used by the suspected fraudster, the payment information, supporting messages and what alerted you. Save the reporting acknowledgement or reference and share it with the bank. Describe suspected payment redirection without assuming the genuine factory was responsible. For the prevention patterns behind this incident, see avoiding sourcing scams.
Set conditions before any further payment
Do not send a replacement payment merely because the supplier says the invoice remains unpaid. Confirm the supplier’s identity and intended beneficiary through a contact established before the incident. Compare the beneficiary with the business licence and contract; document and investigate any mismatch. Use our supplier verification guide for the underlying checks.
Require a fresh internal approval before changing bank details or releasing money. Establish whether the original payment has returned, what the genuine supplier received and how any proposed replacement affects the outstanding order. Check production, inspection and documents using the balance-payment checklist. Keep the reason for restarting payment and the verification evidence together.
Track recovery without exposing more money
Keep a contact log and ask the bank for written updates on the recall and its assessment of your case. Ask which recovery or reimbursement options it considers applicable to this business payment and payment route. Do not budget on a refund until the bank confirms the outcome. Keep recovery costs separate from the purchasing decision.
Treat unsolicited demands for a recovery fee, release charge or transfer to a supposedly safe account as a reason to stop and verify independently. Cambridge China Bridge’s staff in China can help check the genuine supplier and order position; they cannot promise a bank recovery. For rebuilding payment arrangements, see how to pay Chinese suppliers safely.
Frequently asked questions
Can a fraudulent supplier bank transfer be recalled?
Ask your bank to attempt a recall immediately. Give the beneficiary details and transaction reference. Treat recovery as unresolved until the bank confirms the outcome and any returned funds.
Should I wait for the supplier before calling the bank?
No. Contact the bank immediately and pause further payments. Check the genuine supplier through an established contact while the bank handles your request.
What evidence should I keep after invoice fraud?
Keep original emails with headers, attachments, chats, invoices, changed bank details, payment approvals and transfer records. Add a timeline and retain screenshots alongside the originals.
Should I pay the supplier again after a fraudulent transfer?
Pause replacement payments until you have independently checked the beneficiary, established the original payment’s status and agreed the order position. Require fresh internal approval.