One is enough. A disturbingly effective method of extorting money

In the case in question, everything looked most reliable, and the invoice related to the cooperation. However, one detail worried the employee and it turned out that he was right – on the invoice, the fraudsters replaced the payment account number.

The transaction concerned Polish-Bulgarian cooperation in the energy field. The Polish company received an invoice for one million euros. At first glance, it looked credible, but one of the employees decided to check its authenticity. After everything didn’t seem right, he informed the police.

As a result of a quick analysis, the officers determined that the invoice has been changedand the whole situation was an attempt at international fraud. Fortunately, the Polish company did not lose one million euros. The case is currently being investigated.

• You should always check your bank account placed on the invoice. If it is different, you need to verify the change of the bank account number with the contractor.
• Try hard do not act under time pressureu – unfortunately, this is one of the most common methods used by fraudsters.
• Always check email addressesfrom which the invoice comes. They often differ from the real ones by one sign.
• It is worth introducing in the company the principle of double authorization of transfers for high amounts.

Substituted invoices are a new plague in many companies. This type of fraud is one of the most common methods of extorting money. This is a white-glove crime that does not require breaking into banking systems or complex hacker attacks. Unfortunately, in its simplicity, this method is disturbingly effective.