Business Scams

Fraudsters change supplier bank details so legitimate payments are diverted to them.

Bogus suppliers that take payment or deposits for goods and services never delivered.

Impersonation of senior executives to pressure staff into urgent, confidential payments.

Bogus business leads, directory listings and 'renewal' invoices that charge for nothing of value.

Fake 'your domain is expiring' notices that trick you into paying a bogus registrar or transferring your domain.

Official-looking invoices for trademark 'registration', 'renewal' or 'publication' from bogus bodies.

Compromised or spoofed business email accounts used to redirect payments and steal data.

Bogus purchase orders, often impersonating large firms or institutions, that lead to unpaid goods.

Bogus 'investors' who target startups with due-diligence fees, advance costs, or data theft.

Bogus business partnerships or distribution deals used to extract fees, stock, or sensitive data.

Bogus legal demands — copyright, debt, or lawsuits — pressuring businesses to pay or click.

Invoices for goods or services never ordered, or duplicate 'overdue' demands, hoping you'll just pay.

Attackers infiltrate or impersonate a supplier's email account to intercept and redirect legitimate invoice payments to accounts they control.

Fraudsters posing as directory or map service representatives charge businesses to update or correct their online listings on platforms that offer this at no cost.

Fraudsters send invoices for office supplies or services never ordered, hoping that busy accounts payable departments will pay without verifying the underlying transaction.

Fraudsters impersonate employees or HR systems to redirect salary payments to accounts they control, often by submitting fake direct deposit change requests.

Scammers impersonate Google support to demand payment, personal codes, or account access in order to 'verify' or 'protect' a business's Google Business Profile listing.

Fraudulent or misleading payment processing companies lure businesses with unbeatable card-processing rates, then trap them with hidden fees, frozen funds, or outright fake equipment and accounts.

Scammers advertise guaranteed business loans or free government grants, then charge upfront 'processing fees' or steal banking information without ever delivering funding.

Businesses are tricked into signing what looks like a free or one-time directory listing form that is actually a multi-year paid subscription with steep cancellation penalties.

Scammers impersonate tax authorities or business registration bodies, demanding urgent payment or sensitive business data to 'complete' registration, licensing, or compliance filings that are either unnecessary or entirely fabricated.

A scammer posing as a customer or client deliberately 'overpays' a business by cheque or transfer, then requests a refund of the difference before the original payment bounces or is reversed.

Buyers — and paid "refunder" services sold on messaging apps — abuse merchants' refund, return, and chargeback processes to get their money back while keeping the goods, using false "not received" claims, empty-box returns, wardrobing, and chargeback abuse.

Predatory "business funding" outfits target cash-strapped small businesses with fast money priced in confusing factor rates, daily debits that strangle cash flow, undisclosed fees, and aggressive collection devices signed away in the fine print — plus upfront-fee brokers selling approvals that never come.

Scammers posing as government grant programmes, foundations, or loan brokers promise small businesses "free money" or guaranteed funding — then charge upfront fees for grants that never arrive, or harvest the business's identity and banking details for fraud committed in its name.