If you run a small business, you know how important it is to pay your bills. Scammers know this too and send fake invoices to businesses for products or services they never ordered in the hopes they’ll pay up.

These scams often start when you or someone on your staff gets an unexpected or unfamiliar invoice in the mail. It bills your company for things you didn’t order — maybe tech support, domain registration, or search engine optimization services. The invoice might look legitimate and appear to come from a well-known company like Geek Squad, or the sender might claim to be from a company you’ve never heard of before. Adding to the confusion and urgency, some invoices arrive with a “past due” notice.

Scammers want your money, and they hope the person handling your company’s finances will just pay the invoice by following the sender’s instructions. Scammers also sometimes email you fake invoices, but it’s really a phishing scam designed to get access to your business’s data and networks.

To help you protect your business:

  • Ask your staff to check all invoices closely. Make sure your company’s procedures are clear for approving purchases and invoices from vendors you actually work with.
  • Know who you’re dealing with. If you get an invoice from a company you don’t recognize, search online for the company’s name with terms like “review,” “scam,” or “complaint.” See what others are saying about that company.
  • Forward phishing emails to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org. And report phishing attempts, fake invoices, and other scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Find more resources for small businesses at ftc.gov/SmallBusiness. 

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