Free tool · Before you pay
Is it safe to send this payment?
The costliest mistake when buying from China is paying the wrong account: a supplier’s email is hacked and “new bank details” arrive. Check the account against the business licence, see where the money is really going, and get a script for the phone call that stops the scam. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
1 The account
2 How the details reached you
What kind of account is it?
Have you paid this supplier before?
How did the new bank details reach you?
Have you confirmed the details by phone, on a number you already had?
Is anyone pushing you to pay quickly, or to a different account because of an “audit”, “tax” or “bank” problem?
Does the invoice match the order: company name, product, quantity and amount?
Is the money going through escrow (such as Alibaba Trade Assurance) or a letter of credit?
4 The phone call that stops the scam
Call the supplier on a number you already had: from the first quote, their website or your earlier calls, never one given in the email with the new details. Read this out, or send the Chinese version to your contact on WeChat after the call to confirm it in writing.
English
Hello, this is [your name] from [your company]. We have received payment details for order [number], and we check every payment by phone before we send it. Please confirm the account name, the bank, and the last four digits of the account number. We only pay into an account in your company’s registered name. Have your bank details changed recently?
中文 (Chinese)
您好，我是[公司名称]的[姓名]。关于订单[订单号]，我们收到了付款账户信息。按照我们公司的规定，每次付款前都要电话核实。请您确认一下收款账户名称、开户银行和账号的后四位。我们只向与营业执照上公司名称一致的对公账户付款。请问贵公司最近有没有更改过收款账户？
What the checks look for
- Account name. The money should go to the company on the business licence, in its registered name. A personal account or a different company is a stop sign.
- SWIFT code. Characters 1–4 are the bank, 5–6 the country, 7–8 the location and 9–11 the branch (SWIFT). A bank in a third country is a classic sign of a diverted payment.
- Changed details and pressure. Criminals send new bank details from a hacked or look-alike email and add urgency (Report Fraud, QualityInspection.org). A call to a number you already had defeats it.
A checklist, not a guarantee. A correct-looking account can still belong to someone else, so the phone call matters more than any tool. If you think you’ve already paid a scammer, call your bank at once and ask them to recall the payment, then report it.
More free tools for importers
- Supplier checkDecode the code on a Chinese business licence and run the warning signs before you pay.
- Request for quotation builderWrite a clear request suppliers can quote on like for like.
- Canton Fair companionLog suppliers booth by booth, check their licence codes and take home a shortlist. Works offline.
- Plan my importFour short steps give one plan: landed cost, UK rules and documents, the order-by date and supplier checks.
- Landed-cost calculatorDuty, anti-dumping duty and import VAT for your product, from live UK Trade Tariff rates.
- Quote comparerPut up to four supplier quotes side by side and see which is really the cheapest to land.
Questions about paying suppliers safely
What is the bank details scam when buying from China?
Criminals get into a supplier’s or buyer’s email, watch the conversation, then send an invoice or a message saying the bank account has changed. The payment goes to them. UK police call it mandate or payment diversion fraud. The defence is simple: confirm any new bank details by phone, on a number you already had.
Is it normal for a Chinese supplier to use a Hong Kong bank account?
It can be. Some trading companies and exporters bank in Hong Kong. What matters is whose name the account is in: it should be the supplier’s own company, or its registered Hong Kong company, and you should confirm it before paying.
What does a SWIFT or BIC code tell me?
The first four letters are the bank, the next two the country, then two for the location and, optionally, three for the branch. It tells you which bank and country the money goes to. It does not tell you who owns the account.
What should I do if I think I paid a scammer?
Call your bank straight away and ask them to recall the payment: the sooner, the better the chance. Then report it to Report Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting service, and tell the supplier on a number you already had.
Want someone to check before every payment?
I check suppliers on China’s official register, confirm bank details before you pay, and keep the balance tied to a passed inspection. I never handle your money: you always pay the supplier directly.
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