My supplier emailed new bank account details at the last minute — is it safe to pay?
The situation
"Right before I was about to wire the balance, my supplier emailed to say their usual bank account is 'under audit' and asked me to send payment to a different account — a different bank, sometimes a different account name. They're pushing me to hurry. Is this normal?"
Short answer
Treat a last-minute change of bank details as a fraud alert until proven otherwise. This is the single most common way importers lose large sums — often because a third party has quietly compromised the email thread. Do not pay the new account until you have re-verified it through a separate channel you initiated.
How to think about it
- Assume the email may not be from your supplier. Payment-diversion fraud usually works by an attacker monitoring or spoofing the email conversation, then inserting new bank details at the exact moment a payment is due. The message can look perfectly normal and come from the right-looking address.
- Verify on a channel you control, not one they gave you. Call or video-call the person you've been working with on a number you already had — not a number or contact in the suspicious email. Ask them directly to confirm the account change.
- Distrust the reasons and the urgency. "Account under audit / frozen / tax issue, please hurry" is the classic script. Real account changes are rare, and a legitimate supplier will not pressure you to skip verification.
- Match the account name to the company. Payment should go to the registered company's own account, in the company's name. An account in an individual's name, a different company, or a different country than the supplier is a strong red flag.
Specifics
- A 2023 China Sourcing Association survey found 18% of importers reported losing an average of $45,000 to payment or supplier fraud — small and mid-size buyers are the most exposed.
- The highest-risk moment is the balance payment before shipment, when a real, expected invoice already exists for the attacker to redirect.
- Safer structures: keep a documented bank account on file from the start, and confirm any change by voice before sending a cent.
Where China Partner Hub fits
We verify the supplier's registered banking entity up front and flag mid-transaction changes — so a "please pay this other account" email is caught as the red flag it usually is, before the money moves.