Your business receives an invoice for a service you never ordered
Scammers mail or email official-looking invoices to small businesses for services never ordered—domain registration, directory listings, SEO, or tech support—hoping busy staff will pay without verifying.
Also known as: fake vendor invoice scam, fake domain invoice, small business invoice fraud, directory listing invoice scam
Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes
- 1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
- 2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
- 3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.
What to do right now
- 1 Before paying any invoice, verify the purchase with the person who approved it
- 2 Search the company name online with 'review' and 'scam' — fake invoice companies usually have complaints
- 3 Never click 'View Invoice' links in unexpected emails — go directly to the vendor's official site
- 4 Establish a written purchase-order process so staff can confirm any invoice before payment
- 5 Report to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's IC3 at https://www.ic3.gov.
Red flags
- ⚠ You have no memory of ordering the service described on the invoice
- ⚠ The invoice arrives with a 'past due' or 'second notice' label to create urgency
- ⚠ The vendor name is unfamiliar and searches find complaints or 'scam' references
- ⚠ Payment is demanded by wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency — legitimate vendors accept checks and cards
- ⚠ An email version contains a link to 'view invoice' — that link is a credential-phishing page
- ⚠ The invoice is for a vague service like 'domain listing,' 'SEO maintenance,' or 'annual support renewal'
Sources
- FTC — Run a small business? Pay your bills, not scammers (May 2026)
- FTC — Scams and Your Small Business: A Guide for Business
- Minnesota AG — Fake Invoices Targeted at Businesses
- IRS — National Small Business Week 2026: Avoid the scam
- FTC Consumer Alert — Run a small business? Pay your bills, not scammers (May 27, 2026)