The police are seeing an increase in "payroll diversion fraud" and would like to warn all employers about this new phenomenon.
Fraudsters contact the HR or payroll manager by email (using an employee's name) to inform them that the bank details for their payroll account have changed by providing "new" bank details linked to a bank account used by the perpetrators. Undetected, this fraud leads the employer to pay the salary due directly to the fraudsters and is likely to go undetected until the employee in question notices that he or she has not received their salary.
If an employee's bank details change, you are strongly advised to verify the request in person or by telephone before making the payment. To avoid this type of fraud, ask yourself the following questions Does the sender's email address match the employee's usual email address? Does the form of the request correspond to the normal way of communicating within the company? Is an authentic "bank account details slip" (RIB) provided and checked for any changes to the bank details? If such fraud is detected, the nearest police station should be contacted as soon as possible.
This scam affects both small and large companies, and has been on the increase in recent months. It is advisable to remain vigilant and to warn those responsible for accounting.