A changed bank account turns a routine supplier payment into a new verification event.

Stop the transfer and preserve the evidence

Save the earlier and revised payment instructions, the relevant PI or contract and the messages explaining the change. Record when the request arrived, who sent it and whether urgency or secrecy was introduced.

Do not reply only within the potentially compromised conversation. A request that arrives immediately before a deadline deserves more—not less—independent confirmation.

• Old and new payment instructions
• Beneficiary name and country
• Bank name and currency
• Time and channel of the change
• Who allegedly authorised it

Confirm through an independent channel

Use a phone number, corporate website or known contact obtained before the change or from an independent source. Ask the supplier to confirm the beneficiary, account change, reason and authorising person.

A callback confirms a statement, but the transaction file should also contain documentary authority when the beneficiary is a different legal person or company.

Reconcile the three names again

Compare the Chinese registered supplier, the PI or contract issuer and the new beneficiary. A different exporter, Hong Kong affiliate or collection agent may be legitimate, but the relationship must be credible and documented.

If the new recipient is an individual, unrelated company or unexplained foreign entity, routine payment should stop. Do not let previous successful orders substitute for verification of the changed instruction.

When to hold or escalate

Hold when evidence may resolve the difference—for example, a missing authority letter or contract amendment. Escalate when reliable records contradict the explanation, the supplier refuses confirmation, or the individual or unrelated beneficiary remains unsupported.

Any report completed before the account change should be reopened. A decision about the old beneficiary does not cover the new one.