A property purchase involves documents, deadlines and conversations with several businesses. Among those messages may be instructions to transfer a deposit or other funds. Knowing what a payment redirection scam looks like can help buyers recognise when a familiar-looking request needs an independent check.
An expected message can still be fraudulent
Scamwatch describes payment redirection as a scam in which criminals impersonate a business and substitute their own payment details. The buyer thinks the payment is going to the business involved in the transaction. Instead, it goes to an account controlled by the scammer.
The trap is not limited to a completely unexpected invoice. A message can arrive during a genuine purchase, when a payment request seems plausible. That makes the question more specific than whether a bill was expected: are these particular payment instructions authentic? Familiar timing is context, not confirmation.
A professional appearance does not verify an account
Scamwatch’s fake-invoice alert explains that criminals can copy logos and business identifiers, impersonate email addresses or gain access to a genuine email system. A fraudulent message may appear within an existing conversation. Simply recognising the sender’s name or the design of an attachment does not establish where the money will go.
Replying within that conversation may not resolve the doubt. If a criminal controls the mailbox, the reply can reach the same person who sent the false instructions. A reassuring response from that channel should not be treated as independent verification. The account details still need checking through a separate, trusted route.
Source: Scamwatch: Fake business invoice scams (4 April 2024)
Make the check independent of the message
WA ScamNet’s property guidance recommends calling the sender to confirm the request and account details using a previously known number or contact details obtained independently. It warns against using contact information supplied in the suspect email. Although the agency is based in Western Australia, this is practical scam-awareness guidance, not a statement about another state’s conveyancing rules.
For a buyer, a useful preparation question for the conveyancer or solicitor is how payment instructions will be verified. Having that discussion before a payment is due creates an opportunity to understand the firm’s process. An article cannot authenticate an invoice, validate bank details or replace the professionals managing a particular transaction.
Source: WA ScamNet: Payment redirection scams in property transactions
Treat changes and urgency as reasons to pause
Scamwatch identifies changed payee information and slightly altered email addresses as warning signs. Its guidance is to stop and check changes by calling the business on an independently sourced number. A request to use a different account deserves attention even when the rest of the message looks consistent with earlier correspondence.
A looming deadline can make a check feel inconvenient. The practical issue is to raise the uncertainty promptly with the verified professional handling the transaction, rather than assume the email is correct. This article does not advise missing a contractual deadline or interpret the consequences of delaying payment; questions about those obligations belong with the relevant legal representative.
Keep a clear record of what remains unresolved
A transaction folder can distinguish an instruction received from an instruction independently confirmed. Notes might record the date, the business contacted, how its contact number was obtained and which question still needs an answer. The purpose is to keep uncertainty visible, rather than let an unconfirmed message become the basis for an irreversible action.
For example, a hypothetical buyer might receive a revised invoice while preparing to move. The changed details could be genuine or fraudulent; appearance alone cannot settle that question. Recording the change and raising it through a trusted contact gives the issue a clear place in the transaction discussion. It does not guarantee that every scam will be detected.
If money or information may already be at risk
Scamwatch says to contact your bank immediately if you have transferred money or shared financial information in a suspected scam. It also directs people to report scams to Scamwatch and business email fraud to the Australian Cyber Security Centre. Contacting the bank is an urgent response step, not a promise that a transfer can be reversed or money recovered.
Preserving the messages and transaction records can help explain what happened when speaking with the bank and the legitimate business. Avoid treating a second email offering reassurance as proof that the original payment was safe. Follow the bank’s verified guidance and ask the professional handling the property transaction about any outstanding obligations.
Source: Scamwatch: Fake business invoice scams (4 April 2024)
Bring payment safety into the property conversation
Payment verification is a separate question from loan approval, borrowing capacity or whether a property is suitable. A genuine finance process does not make every message associated with a purchase genuine. Keeping those questions separate helps prevent confidence in one part of the transaction from being mistaken for verification of another.
Keypoint’s property and budgeting resources provide general background for people preparing for finance. Contact Keypoint to discuss a finance enquiry and the application process. For payment instructions, use the verified business responsible for the particular payment. No checklist, article or loan approval can guarantee protection from fraud.