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A familiar carrier email cannot authorize a new destination or bank account on its own. Verify consequential load and payment changes through trusted contacts and record the approval.
Why a familiar email is not enough
The load was delivered. The invoice matches. Then an email arrives: “Our bank details have changed. Please use the attached instructions for today’s payment.”
For an owner, office manager, or accounts-payable employee, that creates a separate decision: who authorized the change, and where will the money actually go? A correct invoice does not authenticate a new bank account.
The FBI’s business email compromise guidance explains that criminals can imitate trusted senders or gain access to legitimate billing conversations. An authentic-looking thread can therefore carry fraudulent instructions.
Changes that deserve a separate check
Use the same pause when a request changes where freight, money, or account access will go. A lookalike domain may differ by one character, while a compromised real mailbox can continue an authentic conversation.
- Pickup, delivery address, appointment, route, driver, equipment, or substitute carrier.
- Load details, rate, legal payee, bank account, remit-to address, factoring relationship, or notice of assignment.
- Portal password, recovery contact, or multifactor authentication method.
Verify load and access changes before acting
Give dispatch a written approval route that also works on Friday pickups, after hours, and during an email outage. Call the established contact using independently held details, not a phone number or link introduced by the new request.
Compare the legal name, carrier contact, USDOT or MC number where relevant, shipment, existing rate confirmation, bill of lading, and your system-of-record details. Confirm who has authority to change the destination, driver, equipment, contact details, or access method. Require the designated second review, record the decision, and escalate conflicts before a truck moves.
For example, if an established carrier emails a new delivery address, hold the change until its known contact and the authorized shipper or broker confirm it through the agreed process. Preserve the original message and call notes. Keep these email and account checks separate from physical cargo controls such as pickup identity, seals, and safe parking.
The freight payment verification checklist
Use the five steps below when carrier bank details, payee information, remittance instructions, or factoring arrangements change.
Use only a short shipment or invoice reference in the worksheet. Do not copy full bank details, passwords, customer records, or sensitive shipment data into general notes. Keep completed worksheets in your business's approved private storage.
- Hold the change. Flag the invoice and proposed vendor-record change. Keep the existing payment record until verification is complete.
- Call a known contact. Use a number from onboarding or an established business record—not the request, attachment, or follow-up message. Confirm what changed, why, when it starts, and which invoices it covers.
- Verify the payee and destination. Compare the legal payee, carrier record, invoices, effective date, and bank details through your approved secure process.
- Handle factoring changes separately. Review the notice of assignment, any release, and current payment obligations. Contact the carrier and factor independently. Escalate conflicts to the person responsible for contracts or legal review.
- Get a second approval. The reviewer should check the callback record, documents, payee, and destination before the payment is released.
A short callback script your team can use
“We received a request to change payment instructions for invoices [references]. Did your company request this change? Which invoices and effective date does it cover? We will verify the destination through our established process and obtain internal approval before releasing payment.”
An inbound confirmation does not replace your callback. Ask who can approve the change, compare the answer with existing records, and retain the verification date, contact source, and reviewer without duplicating sensitive bank details in general notes.
What if the payment has already been sent?
Contact your bank’s fraud team immediately. Explain the suspected payment diversion and ask about recall or recovery options and contact with the receiving institution. The FBI also recommends reporting business email compromise to IC3.
Preserve the original messages, attachments, transaction references, and verification notes. Notify your internal incident lead and the legitimate business contact through a trusted channel. Have your IT provider or security team investigate suspected account compromise and follow applicable incident-reporting procedures. Do not wait for the technical investigation before contacting the bank.
What to record before releasing payment
Keep the verification record with the invoice or vendor-change request. Store full banking details only in the restricted payment system; general notes can reference that record without duplicating sensitive information.
| Check | Evidence to request | Suggested owner |
|---|---|---|
| Independent contact | Person reached, role, and source of the callback number | Employee performing verification |
| Approval | Reviewer, decision, and approval date | Second approver |
| Payment check | Confirmation that the approved destination matches the payment being released | Payment approver |
Write down the response before you need it
Use our free small business incident response plan template to record contacts, insurer notice instructions, and recovery priorities. The 18-page fillable PDF includes industry add-ons and a short tabletop exercise for your team and IT provider.
Related resources
Practice the verification steps before a real change arrives.
Use controlled invoice or remittance-change emails to practice recognition and reporting. Then rehearse your own callback and approval process with dispatch, accounts payable, and the person authorized to release payment.