Chinese Supplier Bank Details Changed? 6 Checks Before Payment

An invoice arrives from your Chinese supplier with a new bank account and an urgent request to pay. The salesperson forwards it to finance; finance assumes the salesperson checked it. That gap is enough for a changed instruction to reach the payment queue without independent verification.

Pause the affected payment while you verify the request, beneficiary and authorization. This guide describes an internal hand-off for buyers and suppliers. Your bank decides the required banking checks and procedures; the checklist does not guarantee fraud prevention.

1. Separate the change request from the payment queue

Keep the original message, attachments, sender address and receipt time. Link them to the order, amount, currency, due date and original payment-instruction version. Compare old and new details in one record rather than silently replacing the account on an invoice.

Ask finance whether the payment is still awaiting approval, has been submitted to the bank or has already been debited. Those states require different responses. Do not submit a replacement payment while the first transfer remains unresolved.

2. Call through a contact route established before the request

The FBI recommends independently checking changes to bank accounts and payment procedures. Use an established contact or a company channel found and verified separately. Do not call a new number supplied in the questionable message. Record how you obtained the callback number.

Ask the responsible supplier finance contact which order is affected, why the account changed, when the change takes effect and who authorized it. Confirm what happens to instructions already issued. A voice call is one check, not proof of identity and authority by itself. If an independent confirmation cannot be obtained, keep the payment on hold despite an urgent shipping deadline.

3. Check the beneficiary against the contracting seller

Compare beneficiary name, bank, account number or IBAN, SWIFT/BIC and currency with the seller named in the contract, purchase order and pro forma invoice. Finance or the bank should check the banking fields and any local requirements.

If the beneficiary becomes another company, an individual or a collection agent, escalate the relationship and collection authority to the responsible finance approver. Ask the paying bank what supporting material it needs. A screenshot, matching display name or successful small transfer does not by itself establish account ownership or authority to collect this order payment.

4. Issue one controlled replacement instruction

Once independently verified, document the order reference, version date, changed fields, effective scope, confirmation and authorization. State which earlier instruction is superseded. The supplier contact, buyer's purchasing team and buyer's finance team should work from the same approved version.

List payments already sent or being processed separately. A new instruction is not a reason to pay an invoice twice. Keep unresolved bank queries visible rather than treating the new invoice as their resolution.

5. Require a second review before payment approval

Give a second reviewer the original request, callback contact source, confirmation record, field comparison and beneficiary evidence. The reviewer should check the evidence, not simply approve a forwarded email. The FBI describes additional verification, including a secondary sign-off, for vendor payment changes; this guide turns that principle into an order hand-off.

Purchasing confirms the order and supplier contact. Finance checks account fields and payment status. An authorized approver accepts the change. Record what each person checked and what remains open.

6. Reconcile the transfer and act quickly on suspected fraud

Retain the bank receipt and reconciliation status after payment under the approved instruction. A screenshot supplied by the payer is not the same as confirmed receipt by the seller, and a bank debit does not establish the beneficiary's collection authority.

If you suspect funds went to the wrong account, contact the paying bank immediately about its stop-payment, recall or recovery procedures. Notify the responsible people, preserve original records and report through the appropriate authorities. The FBI recommends immediate contact with the financial institution for BEC incidents. Recovery depends on the facts and transfer status; it cannot be promised.

A practical message to the supplier

“We have received the bank-detail change request and have placed the affected payment on hold for verification. Please arrange confirmation through our previously established finance contact and provide the order reference, beneficiary entity and controlled replacement instruction. We will proceed after our approval process and the bank's requirements are satisfied.” Adapt this example to the roles and process agreed for your order.

Sources and limits

Checked on 26 September 2026: FBI guidance on business email compromise and FBI guidance on phone verification and secondary sign-off. They support independent contact, change verification and prompt bank contact on suspected fraud. Version control, role allocation and the record template are CZ Overseas workflow suggestions. No real customer data or account assessment is used. Confirm banking, contractual and regulatory requirements for the actual transaction.

Frequently asked questions