Fake Invoices & Payment Requests: How They Are Used in Email Attacks by Hackers

Email Invoice Fraud: One of Most Common Threats of Business Email Security and yes, it costing Millions each year. I’m a cybersecurity and WordPress specialist familiar with Payment Scam Prevention and Content Strategies, so I want to explain this scam line by line and tell you how to catch it before it flushes your accounts.

So, let’s dive into how cybercriminals are faking invoices, impersonating vendors, and convincing businesses like yours to send unauthorized payments.

1. What is Email Invoice Fraud?

One of the most well-known from the victims of this type of attack is: Email Invoice Fraud: A cyberattack in which a hacker sends a business an invoice or payment request.

These emails are made to look like they are 100 percent legit. They’ll usually:

• Use professional-looking branding and logos
• Use the same formatting we’ve used on previous invoices
• Mention actual projects, contacts, or services

Here’s what makes it scary: you’re not being hacked in the conventional sense. Instead, you are deceived into voluntarily transferring money into an assailant’s bank account.

No malware, no virus, only social engineering.

These scams hit:

• Accounting departments
• SMBs with a low IT footprint
• International supply chain businesses

2. The Method Hackers Use to Trick Vendors

Here’s how the scheme typically plays out from beginning to end:

Step 1: Research

The hacker does homework. They will scrape your website, LinkedIn or old press releases, letting them find real vendor names, billing contacts and project details.

Step 2: Email Spoofing or Account Compromise

They either:

• Spoof the vendor’s email address (make this appear like it is coming from vendor-name.com)
• Compromise a vendor’s account and send emails from a real address

Tricky, right?

Step 3: Fake Invoice Email

This is where they crank it up. The email usually includes:

• An invoice to PDF with plausible project names
• An urgent payment message
• New bank information to reroute funds
• Minor spelling or formatting errors (though not always)

And since everything feels familiar, the majority of staff don’t challenge it.

Step 4: The Trap

Your companies accounts department transfers thousands as it believes it is a genuine email.

But by the time anyone understands what has happened, the money is long gone — sometimes overseas, usually untraceable.

3. How to Verify & Prevent Fraud

Let’s get real. To not fall victim, you need smart, simple systems in place.

Basic Email Security Hygiene

• Don’t rely on email display names alone
  Check the full email address, always — attackers use similar domains (e.g. vend0r.com instead of vendor.com)
• Double check new bank details
  If a vendor suddenly tells you it has a new payment account — that’s a red flag — always call to confirm, with a known phone number.
• Validate through a second contact
  Speak with somebody from the company (not someone else on the email thread) to verify the invoice is valid

Strong Internal Processes

• Develop a payment verification checklist
• Two-man rules for any payment changes or high-value transactions
• Train your staff
  Anyone who deals with invoices or payments — what to look for, how to identify spoofed emails
• Vendor codes or payment reference numbers
  Increase the difficulty for fraudulent invoices to align with your system

Technical Tools That Help

• SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records
  These email authentications tools help block spoofed messages from entering your inbox
• Filters on email and anti-phishing tools
  Scan for known patterns of scams, and block questionable attachments or links
• Protect your vendor communications
  Advocate for use of encrypted communications and secure online payment portals by vendors whenever possible

4. Email Scam Protection from PJ Networks

Payment Scam Prevention is about software, but it’s also about strategy, which is why we offer more than just software at PJ Networks.

That’s why our Business Email Security solutions are more than just a checklist. We can help businesses like yours:

• Watch for suspicious activity involving email
• Flag patterns of high-risk email behavior
• Check invoice PDFs for potential alteration
• Educate your employees on the fraud tactics

Strix: – Use automated workflows that catch unauthorized payments before they’re sent

All while securing your WordPress front end and back office. Yes, even your WooCommerce payment systems — we have you covered.

We aim to ensure that if hackers send you 100 fake invoices, not one dollar escapes your business.

5. Conclusion

Email Invoice Fraud is real. It’s smart. And it’s also becoming harder to detect.

However, with the necessary awareness, verification steps, and a solid partner like PJ Networks, you can protect your business from these underhanded sales tactics.

Train your employees to verify each invoice. Get your team trained. And treat unexpected payment requests with suspicion.

Because in today’s world of Business Email Security, one error in your email could end up costing you thousands.

Now is the time to begin implementing your Payment Scam Prevention plan. Don’t wait till it’s too late.

Protect your reputation. Protect your money.
Stay informed. Protect yourselves from Email Invoice Fraud.