Before you respond
Invoice and boss email requests
Learn business email compromise scam warning signs, including fake invoices, wire changes, boss gift card requests, vendor messages, and urgency.
Reviewed June 10, 2026
Quick answer
An invoice, wire, or boss request may be a scam if it asks for money, gift cards, account changes, or urgent payment through a message you were not expecting.
Verify payment and purchase requests through a separate trusted channel before sending money or card numbers.
At a glance
Business email compromise scams impersonate work contacts, vendors, title companies, or executives to redirect payments or data.
- The message appears to come from a boss, vendor, title company, coworker, or familiar contact.
- It asks for a wire transfer, account change, gift cards, payment app transfer, or invoice payment.
- The sender address, domain, or reply address is slightly different than usual.
Do not send money, gift card codes, or account changes from the message alone.
How business email compromise changes trusted requests
Business email compromise scams make a payment request look like it came from someone trusted. The message may appear to be from a boss, vendor, coworker, title company, client, or familiar business. It may ask for a wire transfer, invoice payment, account change, gift cards, or a quiet urgent favor.
The safest check is a separate trusted channel. Do not verify by replying to the same email thread or calling a number in the message. Use a saved phone number, known contact, or in-person approval. If the message asks for gift cards or login details, compare it with gift card and email phishing scam patterns.
What it may look like
"Please handle this quietly. Buy 20 gift cards for the team and email me the codes before the meeting."
Signs to slow down
- The message appears to come from a boss, vendor, title company, coworker, or familiar contact.
- It asks for a wire transfer, account change, gift cards, payment app transfer, or invoice payment.
- The sender address, domain, or reply address is slightly different than usual.
- It pressures secrecy, speed, or bypassing normal approval steps.
What to do next
- Do not send money, gift card codes, or account changes from the message alone.
- Call the person or company using a saved number or a contact you already trust.
- Check email addresses, domains, and invoice details carefully.
- Follow normal approval steps even if the message says it is urgent.
- If money moved, contact your financial institution immediately and report to IC3.gov.
How to report it
- Verify invoice, wire, payroll, and gift card requests through a separate trusted channel before acting.
- Contact the financial institution immediately if money moved.
- Report business email compromise losses to IC3.gov and preserve email headers, invoices, and payment records.
How Olevo can help
Olevo can give you a calm second opinion before you respond.
Paste the email or upload a screenshot. Olevo can help you check the sender, payment request, urgency, and wording before you act.
Trusted sources
Business Email Compromise
Federal Bureau of Investigation
FBI guidance describes fake invoice changes, executive gift card requests, and wire instructions that appear to come from trusted sources.
Spoofing and Phishing
Federal Bureau of Investigation
FBI guidance explains that spoofing can disguise phone numbers, sender names, emails, and websites.
No, that's not your boss asking you to buy gift cards
Federal Trade Commission
FTC guidance describes boss imposters asking for urgent gift card purchases and card number or PIN details.
Common questions
Can a BEC scam target personal email?
Yes. It can target businesses or individuals, especially around invoices, home purchases, vendors, and payment changes.
What is the safest way to verify a payment request?
Use a separate trusted channel, such as a saved phone number or in-person confirmation, not the contact details in the email.
Why do scammers ask for gift cards?
Gift card numbers and PINs are hard to recover once shared, which makes them useful to scammers.
What should I do if I sent money after a fake invoice email?
Contact your bank or payment provider immediately, preserve the email and invoice details, and report the incident to IC3.gov.