Scammers slipped into a real email thread and changed a supplier's bank details. Police in Victoria have 107 reports since July, so check by phone first.
A furniture business in Melbourne nearly lost $118,000 after scammers slipped into a real email conversation with its supplier and said the supplier's bank account had changed. The employee who handled it, Kate, paid. Her bank spotted the problem, and police were able to block the money and return it.
Kate works for a family furniture business in Melbourne's Bayside area. From August 25 to September 5, she exchanged genuine emails with a supplier about shipping outdoor furniture worth $118,000. From September 7 to September 25, scammers took over that same thread and posed as the supplier. They said the bank details had changed and pushed her to pay fast, calling it urgent.
Her bank then alerted her to possible fraud. She phoned the supplier, who said the emails had not come from them.
Police call it business email compromise. The scammers do not start a new conversation. They step into one that already exists, so the message looks like part of a normal back-and-forth. Kate said she did not think anything of the request because earlier emails in the thread had been real.
Detective Sergeant Dean Waters of the Victoria Police Cybercrime Squad said the scammers create a false sense of urgency, claiming payment must be made immediately. The article does not say how the scammers got into the thread.
Any business that pays suppliers by bank transfer after an emailed request is a possible target. That includes the staff who handle invoices and payments. Victoria Police have received 107 reports of this scam since July, and the scam has been operating nationwide.
Kate was lucky. Her bank could not pull the money back. Only the work of Victoria Police, with help from the Australian Federal Police, got the funds returned. Nothing in the article suggests that outcome can be counted on.
The alert box above lists the steps. The core idea is simple. Before paying to new bank details, call the supplier on a number you already have, not one in the email. Treat any urgent demand for payment as a warning sign, even inside a thread that looks genuine.
Contact your bank immediately and report it to police. Waters said reports help police identify offenders, disrupt their activities and stop others from falling victim. Kate reported hers right away through ReportCyber. More advice on this scam is on the Scamwatch website.
Before paying to new bank details, phone the supplier on a number you already have, even if the email is part of a real thread.
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