Before you respond
Invoice and boss email requests
Learn how business email compromise scams can look like invoice changes, boss requests, gift card requests, or wire instructions from trusted contacts.
Reviewed May 31, 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.
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 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.