A text from the owner or an urgent supplier email can look like routine holiday business. Here’s how these payment scams work—and what to check before money leaves your account.
Three ways holiday payment scams show up
The details change, but the pressure is familiar: a supposed owner needs a quick favor, an invoice looks pre-approved, or a supplier says its bank account has changed. Scammers may spoof an email address or use a compromised account to make the request feel like part of an existing conversation. The examples below illustrate established payment-fraud tactics.
The boss asks for gift cards or an urgent transfer
The message says the owner is tied up, asks an employee to buy cards, then requests the codes—often with a plea to keep it quiet. Once shared, the codes can be spent. A new number, secrecy, and pressure to act are reasons to stop and check.
Call the owner on a number already in company records. Confirm the amount and purpose; never send a card code or make a transfer based only on the message.
An invoice arrives with approval already attached
An invoice arrives with a forwarded email thread that appears to show the owner’s approval. The conversation may be fabricated, or a real account may have been compromised. Either way, the thread itself does not verify the purchase.
Match the invoice to the purchase order, contract, or receiving record. Then confirm with the approver using a number or channel you already trust.
A supplier suddenly changes bank details
A supplier email says its account has changed and asks you to pay before a shipment or year-end cutoff. The sender may look familiar, but the new payment details could still be fraudulent.
Call your regular supplier contact using a number already on file. Confirm the change and get a second approval before updating the vendor record or paying.
Before you pay, make these checks
Decide who can approve payments and vendor changes before the holiday rush. If the usual approver is away, name a backup. No one—including the owner—should be able to waive verification with an urgent message.
- Put the payment or gift-card purchase on hold.
- Call the owner or supplier using a number already in your records, not one supplied in the request.
- Confirm the amount, recipient, and reason for the payment.
- Check the budget, purchase order, or invoice, then get the required second approval.
- Note who verified the request and when. If you cannot reach the right person, wait.
If someone already sent money or gift-card codes
Call the gift-card issuer or your bank right away using its official number. Ask whether the funds can be frozen or a transfer recalled; recovery is not guaranteed. Save the messages and receipts, tell your IT support if an account may be compromised, and report the fraud.
More guidance for your team
Our broader holiday guide covers delivery, payroll, sign-in, and other seasonal scams. For payment-fraud specifics, see the freight payment-change checklist. We also offer employee training and authorized email simulations to help teams practice spotting and reporting suspicious requests. If you need to verify internal safeguards, the Business Security Baseline reviews evidence and provides prioritized recommendations.
Related resources
Give your team practice spotting scams
Short, regular scenarios help employees practice what to question and how to report it.