Invoice and payment scams
Stop fake invoices and bank detail scams
The costliest event scam is the simplest: a copy of your real invoice with different bank details. SummitShield stamps your real invoices, lets exhibitors check bank details in seconds, and closes the gaps that make the fakes convincing.
How the scam works
It usually goes like this
Your invoice, copied
Right down to the reference number.
“Our bank has changed”
A new account, often abroad.
Paid in good faith
The balance, or a deposit.
Two invoices, one stand
And a difficult conversation for you.
Red flags to look out for
If you see any of these, stop and check before you pay or reply.
- A change of bank details by email
- An invoice from a slightly different address
- Urgency around a balance or deposit
- A request to keep it confidential
- A PDF that’s been edited
What to tell your exhibitors
Five habits that stop these scams. Copy them into your next newsletter.
- 1Never pay a new bank account without checking it with us first
- 2Check any email, website or number on our check page
- 3Look for the stamp on our invoices, and click it
- 4Forward anything that feels wrong to our check address
- 5Only use the suppliers listed as official
How SummitShield helps
Protection at every step
Email stamps
Stamp every real invoice; a copied stamp is flagged.
How it worksCheck page and check address
Exhibitors check bank details against yours in seconds.
How it worksProtection plan and score
Nobody can send from your exact domain.
How it worksGenuine email record
Your real payment emails confirmed as genuine.
How it worksScam alerts across events
Fake invoices seen at other events are recognised straight away.
How it worksTrack down and report
Report the fake invoice’s domain and email account.
How it worksLive example
See how an event shows its official suppliers and known scams
Try the official directory and scam check for a made-up event. Paste one of its scam addresses and see the instant answer, browse its official suppliers, and see the scams already reported.
Questions people ask
How do exhibitors check if an invoice is real?
They click the stamp on your invoice email, or forward the invoice to your check address. Bank details that aren’t yours are flagged straight away.
Do you store our bank details?
You can add the bank accounts you invoice from, so we can tell exhibitors whether one is yours. We only ever show the last few digits.
Other scams we help stop
The scams that follow events around
Event email scams
Protect your exhibitors and attendees from event email scams: fake invoices, hotel offers, attendee list sales and “official” partner emails.
Read morePhone and text scams
Phone scams target event exhibitors with fake housing, directory and stand calls.
Read moreHotel and room scams
Room poachers and fake housing bureaux target exhibitors and attendees with cheap hotel offers.
Read moreAttendee list scams
Exhibitors get offered “your event’s attendee list” for sale.
Read moreFake event websites
Fake event websites sell tickets, stands and rooms in your name.
Read moreThe 8 most common event scams
A plain guide to how each one works, the signs to look for and how to stop it.
Read the guideFree for event organisers
Protect your event today. It’s free.
Set up in an afternoon. Your exhibitors and attendees get a place to check what’s really you, and you get an early warning when someone uses your name.