What they are
Invoice fraud is a type of scam where scammers send fake invoices, pretending to be a trusted seller or service provider you usually deal with.
They may impersonate a trusted organisation or someone you may owe money to, such as a medical clinic, electricity company or a tradesperson. The invoice will usually come in an email and ask you to send money to the bank account number that is on the invoice.
If you’ve been affected by an invoice scam, find out how to get help now.
How they work
There are two ways scammers could trick you into sending money to the wrong account.
1. By using a fake email
Scammers can send you an invoice from a fake email account that looks similar to that of a real organisation. For example, you may get an invoice from name@nz-example.com while the real email address is name@example.com.
2. By illegally gaining access to an organisation’s email account
Scammers may gain unauthorised access to a business’s actual email account. So, the invoice you receive will look like it has come from the correct email address but will have a different account number from the one the original sender uses.
Learn more about business email compromise
In both cases, scammers are hoping you won't question it when you receive the invoice, because they are impersonating someone you know or a company you have used. The accompanying email will often say the due date for payment has passed, or that your credit rating will be affected if you don’t pay immediately. Scammers do this to create a sense of urgency and catch you off guard.