Fraudsters will create websites which appear legitimate to trick buyers into purchasing products and services which don’t really exist.

These websites will even have contact details listed to answer queries you may have about your potential order, helping them to appear as if they are a legitimate supplier.

Similar to invoice and mandate fraud, this type of fraud is generally discovered after the payment has been made. At this point illegitimate suppliers have stopped communicating with you, and the products or services you were promised have not arrived as they don’t exist.

What to look out for:

• Products and services offered at a largely discounted price compared to competitors
• You are asked to pay via bank transfer rather than through a secure website
• The website appears basic with poor English, such as spelling and grammar mistakes, or phrases that don’t sound quite right

Top tips to reduce the risk of being a victim of purchase fraud:

• If you are using a new supplier, ensure you research the company and read reviews left by other customers on third party review websites and not just on the supplier’s site
• Avoid making large orders with suppliers you have not come across before
• Review the website to ensure it is professional and look out for any grammar or spelling mistakes
• If a product or service is unavailable at your usual supplier and you look elsewhere, a good indicator that a website may be illegitimate is if they are offering the same product or service at a discounted price in comparison to other vendors
• If you are made aware of the supplier via an unexpected email, make sure to type the web address into your browser yourself rather than clicking on any in-email links
• Ensure emails that are sent to you from the ‘supplier’ come from email addresses which correspond with the main website domain
• Check the ‘Contact Us’ page as most legitimate companies will list ways for you to get in touch with them. If the site doesn’t have a ‘Contact us’ page or only offers a form to fill out, this could indicate a dubious website

If you believe you have been a victim of purchase fraud, please contact us immediately on our UK Client Services line 0800 023 1441 or +44 (020) 7367 7881 if calling outside the UK.