An invoice can refer to a real shipment and still contain fraudulent payment instructions. The FBI warns that business email compromise can involve familiar-looking messages and compromised accounts. Treat a payment change as a separate decision from whether the freight moved. FBI business email compromise guidance.
1. Verify the request outside the incoming message
Contact the payee using an independently established number. Do not rely on the new callback details embedded in the request you are trying to verify. FBI verification guidance.
2. Match the requested payee to the approved transaction
Check the carrier or vendor identity, shipment reference, invoice, and any applicable factoring or assignment documentation under your process. Escalate conflicting information before changing the record.
3. Review the change, not just the invoice total
A familiar amount can distract from a new destination for the money. Make changed payment details visible to the reviewer instead of treating them as routine invoice text.
4. Separate preparation from approval
Consider requiring another authorized person to approve a material payment-record change. The reviewer should see the verification evidence, not only the updated fields.
5. Preserve the original request and verification record
Keep the message, date, approving person, and method used to confirm the change. Protect banking details in the appropriate system rather than copying them into general dispatch notes.
6. Escalate immediately if money may have been misdirected
The FBI advises contacting the financial institution immediately and reporting business email compromise through IC3. Do not delay that response while trying to resolve the matter by replying to the suspicious sender. FBI response guidance.
Put it to work: Ask finance to demonstrate the approval path for a same-day carrier payment-change request. Any route that depends entirely on the incoming email needs review.