Verifying changed bank details through an independent channel

Pause the transfer if a supplier asks you to pay a new bank account, then confirm the change through a contact route independent of that request. A reply in the same email thread is insufficient: a scammer may control the mailbox or imitate the earlier conversation.

Hold the proposed change

Keep the original request. Compare its payee, account details, invoicing entity and order reference with the approved supplier record. A familiar logo, ABN or sender address does not prove that the new details are genuine. Leave the payment and payee update pending while you check.

Call a supplier number established before the request, or independently verify a suitable number through the supplier's official channel. Do not use a number or link supplied only in the change message. An incoming call claiming to confirm the change is not an independent check.

Confirm the specific details

Ask a supplier contact with authority over payment instructions whether the change was requested. Identify the order or invoice and read back the proposed payee and account details. If the contracting entity has changed as well, resolve that separate commercial change and obtain consistent order documents before payment.

Record when and how you contacted the supplier, the person and role reached, the details confirmed and who completed the check. Have the payee update approved under your business's payment process. A second internal review may catch an entry error, but it does not replace confirmation with the supplier.

If the supplier denies the change, stop the payment and alert it through the trusted route. If confirmation is unavailable, leave payment to the proposed new account on hold. Do not assume that the old account should be used while the supplier says its instructions are under review.

Act promptly after a suspected misdirected transfer

Contact your bank immediately, provide the transaction reference and ask what action remains possible. Preserve the messages and payment record. Report suspected business email compromise through Australian cybercrime and scam reporting channels. The bank may be able to stop a transaction, but recovery is not assured.

This check establishes only whether the supplier confirmed a particular payee change through an independently established route. Review the invoice amount and any product milestone against the order separately.