Invoice fraud is a growing problem in the relocation industry. Members are increasingly reporting such incidents, and warnings are also piling up from other sectors of the economy. In the last few years alone, I know of at least three cases in which members have been victims of such attacks. Even my own e-mails were once intercepted in order to fraudulently obtain money from colleagues with manipulated invoices.

What is “Invoice Fraud”?

These are cases of fraud in which invoices are forged or changed by e-mail—usually by manipulating bank details. The perpetrators gain access to e-mail accounts via spied access data, read the correspondence and exchange account data in the attachment, for example. Often the fraud goes unnoticed until a reminder arrives—because the money has long since been transferred to the wrong account.

Two real examples from practice:

• A moving company received a reminder for USD 5,000, although the amount had long since been transferred—to a wrong account.

• In another case, a real email address was hacked in order to deceive several customers at the same time with fake invoices.

How to protect yourself:

With a few simple measures, you can significantly reduce the risk:

1. Check account details: Compare bank details with previous invoices or confirm changes with the sender by phone.

2. Check sender email: Look for discrepancies in the email address, unusual spellings or suspicious domains.

3. Compare invoices with known data: New account data should always be checked particularly carefully.

4. Secure email communication: Use modern encryption technologies such as TLS 1.2/1.3 or, ideally, end-to-end encryption.

5. Be careful with attachments: If an invoice looks suspicious, contact the sender before opening it.

6. Sensitize employees: Train your team regularly on current scams.

7. Networking accounting and IT: Close cooperation ensures up-to-date security standards.

Additional measures:

• Set up a 4-eyes principle for payments,

• Use e-invoice portals or secure uploads,

• Keep access protected by strong passwords and two-factor authentication, and

• Check regularly whether your company email appears on leak platforms.

Invoice fraud is not only annoying but can also be financially painful. A few additional minutes spent on control and vigilance can save thousands of dollars—and a lot of trouble. Stay alert!