As the end of the tax year approaches in April, UK Finance’s Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign is warning businesses to stay alert to scams that could cost them thousands of pounds. Criminals can exploit this busy period when companies are processing invoices, paying suppliers, and finalising accounts.

Common methods criminals use to target businesses include invoice and mandate scams which involve criminals posing as regular suppliers persuading businesses to change the bank account details they hold on file. In addition, businesses may be targeted by CEO scams where criminals impersonate senior staff members to request urgent payments. 

Criminals may target businesses over several months, building a picture of the structure of a firm and the employees responsible for authorising payments. Company websites can sometimes reveal information about genuine suppliers that can then be used by criminals.

In the first half of 2024 alone, losses to these types of scams totalled £33.5 million. CEO scams accounted for £7.8 million, with an average loss of nearly £50,000 per case - the highest of all scam types. Invoice and mandate scams saw losses of £25.7 million, with 78 per cent (£20 million) of these losses occurring on business accounts.

Giles Mason, Take Five spokesperson, said:

As the end of the tax year approaches, it’s important for businesses to stay alert to potential threats of fraud.

Businesses often process higher-value payments more frequently, making it harder to spot a fraudulent one. By following the Take Five to Stop Fraud advice, you’ll help Stop, Challenge and Protect your business from threats of fraud.

Follow Take Five’s top five tips to help your business stay safe: 

• Whether it’s raising, processing or approving a payment, ensure staff members at every stage of the payment process check invoices and payment details closely.
• Be wary of unexpected requests for urgent payments – double check the sender’s email address and verify the request directly with the colleague or supplier.
• Always question changes in payment information and confirm details directly with suppliers using the contact information you have on file. Companies rarely change their bank details.
• Ensure you have robust payment processes and cyber security in place to protect your business, and educate employees on these.
• Be careful with the type of information you share online about your business – criminals use can any information they find to make their scams seem more convincing.

Take Five has a free training tool to provide your business with the confidence, knowledge and ability to spot and protect yourself against scams. Recreating a busy office environment, the tool takes you through a series of potentially fraudulent situations showing you how to challenge them. You can access this tool here.

Take Five encourages everyone to Stop, Challenge and Protect: 

• STOP:  Take a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information. It could keep you safe.
• CHALLENGE: Ask yourself, could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
• PROTECT:  Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve been scammed and report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or on 0330 123 2040.