Invoice Bank Details Changed? Verify the Request Before You Pay
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A change of bank details can be legitimate, but an email alone is not enough to verify it. Pause the payment change and confirm the request through a contact route you already trust.
Check the payment change separately
An email conversation can look familiar while the payment instructions have changed. Verify the new details with the intended supplier using an independently known phone number or your established verification process. A number supplied in the same email is part of the request you are checking.
This follows the FBI and IC3 guidance linked below. It does not mean that every changed invoice is fraudulent.
A fictional example
Imagine receiving this message:
Please send invoice 1234 to our new account today. Our accounts team is unavailable by phone, so confirm only by replying here.
This is a fictional teaching example, not a real invoice or a live ScamsShield assessment. It contains no bank number or working payment link.
The points to investigate are the changed destination, the deadline and the attempt to keep verification inside the same email thread. None of those details, by itself, identifies the sender.
Use a contact route you already know
Call a contact from your existing records rather than a new number in the message. Ask the supplier to confirm the change through your normal process. If your organization requires a second approver for payment changes, follow that process.
A familiar display name, a convincing signature or a message in an existing thread does not establish who controls the account.
Keep the invoice details private
You can describe the wording without sharing a real invoice. Remove bank details, customer information, private payment links and account identifiers from anything you submit to a checking service. Never submit passwords or one-time codes.
For general email clues, read how to spot a phishing email.
What a scam checker can explain
ScamsShield can review wording and links for possible warning signs. It cannot confirm that a bank account belongs to a supplier, authenticate the person sending an invoice or authorize a payment. A low-risk assessment is not approval to transfer money.
To explore the explanations, create a free account, then open the homepage checker with a fictional example. Online checks require an account and use the displayed allowance. Read the privacy information before submitting content.
If you prefer local website checks
The free desktop extension offers local website checks without an account. It has different limits and a different role from the online message checker. A separate paid extension plan adds optional AI analysis.
An extension result also cannot verify a supplier's bank account. Compare the current features and plans before choosing a paid option.
If a payment has already been sent
Contact your bank or payment provider promptly through its official channel and explain what happened. Follow its instructions and the relevant reporting route for your location. Recovery is not guaranteed. The FBI guidance below includes a U.S. reporting route.
This article is published by ScamsShield and includes links to its own product. It is practical guidance, not an independent product review or a payment-verification service.
Frequently asked questions
Does a change of bank details prove an invoice is a scam?
No. A change can be legitimate. Confirm it independently with the intended supplier rather than relying on the email alone.
Can ScamsShield verify the owner of a bank account?
No. It can explain possible warning signs in submitted content, but it does not authenticate a payee or authorize a payment. A low-risk result is not permission to transfer money.
Do online checks need an account?
Yes. Create a free account for online checks within the displayed allowance. The separate free desktop extension offers local website checks without an account. Optional paid AI and its limits are explained on the product pages.
Sources and review
Reviewed on 25 October 2026. Published by ScamsShield, the provider of the tools linked above. These sources are references, not endorsements of ScamsShield.