Avoid scams
The agent’s bank details changed: what to check
An email announcing new bank details can arrive inside an otherwise legitimate business conversation. The safest response is to verify the change through a separate, trusted channel before releasing funds. Treat this as a routine payment control, even when the sender’s tone, logo and knowledge of your project appear familiar.
Use contact details you already trust
Call a number recorded earlier in the relationship or found independently on the verified provider’s official site. Do not use a new phone number supplied in the same message as the changed payment details. Confirm the invoice, beneficiary name and destination with an authorised person before making the transfer.
Resolve mismatches before paying
A provider may use an approved payment processor or another group company, but an unexplained recipient is a reason to ask questions. Obtain written clarification and check it against your contract. A small test payment is not enough by itself: money arriving at an account does not prove that account belongs to your intended supplier.
Make changes harder to rush
Record the approved account details with the supplier file and require an independent check before altering them. If the provider says a deadline makes verification impossible, ask how the application can be protected while you verify. A genuine time pressure does not change the identity of the person who should receive the money.
Put it into practice
- Pause the transfer when payment instructions change.
- Verify through a separately obtained phone number.
- Check both the beneficiary and invoice reference.
- Save the confirmation and tell anyone else handling payments.
Your next step
If you already sent a questionable transfer, contact your bank immediately through its official fraud channel. Ask what recovery or protective steps are possible; do not assume a payment can be reversed.
Official sources & scope
The FBI describes business email compromise and recommends independently verifying payment requests. The workflow above applies that principle to formation-agent invoices.
General planning information. Country-specific rules and individual circumstances need separate verification. Examples are illustrative; no savings or application outcome is guaranteed.