When money appears out of nowhere: How small businesses can spot and stop payment scams

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For small business owners, an unexpected payment might look like good news. A new customer has placed an order, an invoice has been settled, or an unfamiliar transaction has landed in the account. But when money arrives without an obvious explanation, the smartest response isn't to celebrate, It's to investigate.

Payment scams exploit the everyday pressures of running a business. Entrepreneurs are busy, cash flow matters, and customer relationships depend on responding quickly and professionally. Fraudsters understand this, using unexpected payments, urgent messages and convincing instructions to persuade business owners to make decisions before they've had time to check the facts.

And unfortunately, the risks are becoming harder to ignore as criminals use increasingly sophisticated digital tools to make these communications more convincing and their scams easier to scale. For small businesses without dedicated fraud teams, knowing what to look for, and having the right safeguards in place, can make...

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