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Fake Business Invoices
Fake Business Invoices
Last updated
Businesses receive invoices that seem to come from a supplier, an authority or a register. They may be for an ad, a directory listing, licences or a service nobody ordered. Another variant is a supplier "changing bankgiro" by email, but the new account belongs to the scammers. The scammers hope the invoice gets paid as part of the daily routine.
Warning signs
Nobody at the company recognises the order.
A supplier announces new payment details by email.
The invoice looks like it's from an authority, for example the Companies Registration Office (Bolagsverket), but comes from a private company.
The small print says it's an "offer" or a contract that keeps running.
Svensk Handel has more advice (in Swedish) on how to handle a fake invoice.
Examples of Fake Business Invoices
Fake invoice from a web host
Here is an example of a fake invoice where the scammer claims to be from Loopia, a large Swedish web host that sells domains. The scammer created an email address and named the sender Loopia AB, so it looks like the email comes from there. The email itself is designed to look like a reminder about an unpaid invoice. This is a common trick to make the recipient feel stressed and pay quickly before their website is taken down. It is also common against businesses, where a separate department may handle invoices without knowing every service the company uses. But if you click the sender to see the email address, you can see that it comes from somewhere completely different from Loopia.
How do you avoid this?
- Have a routine where every invoice is approved by the person who placed the order.
- Always call the supplier on a number you know if the bank details change.
- Teach everyone who handles invoices to recognise fake ones.
Has this happened to you?
- Don't pay. Dispute the invoice in writing and keep all correspondence.
- Already paid? Contact the bank right away.
- Report it to the police at polisen.se or call 114 14.
- invoice
- fake invoice
- business
- supplier
- bankgiro
