If you run a business, this has probably happened to you.
An email comes in with an invoice attached or a request to pay something you do not quite recognize. It looks professional. It might even use the name of a real vendor. But something feels off.
The question most Portland-area business owners ask us is simple.
Do we pay it, ignore it, or call someone?
Here is the calm, practical answer.
TL;DR
- Do not pay or reply right away
- Pause and assume it might be fake until proven otherwise
- Verify the invoice using a known contact method
- Report it internally or to IT, even if you did not click anything
- Acting fast and calmly reduces risk and stress
Why this matters for local businesses
Invoice fraud is one of the most common and expensive email scams we see in small and mid-size businesses.
The impact is real:
- Money can be sent to the wrong place and rarely recovered
- Staff time is lost untangling what happened
- Trust with vendors and accountants gets strained
- Owners and teams feel stressed and second-guess themselves
Portland-area businesses are not being targeted because they are careless. They are targeted because they are busy, rely on email for payments, and trust their vendors.
A clear process removes most of the risk.
The straight answer
If you receive a weird invoice email, do not pay it and do not reply to it yet.
Treat it as suspicious until you verify it through a method that does not involve that email.
That one pause is the difference between a non-event and a costly mistake.
What “weird” usually looks like
In our real-world support work, suspicious invoice emails often include:
- An invoice you were not expecting
- A request to pay faster than usual
- New or changed payment instructions
- Slightly different wording than past emails
- An attachment you were not warned about
Sometimes everything looks normal at first glance. That is intentional.
Common mistakes we see locally
These are not bad decisions, just very human ones.
- Paying first because the amount looks small
- Replying to the email to “double check”
- Assuming accounting or someone else already verified it
- Trusting the vendor name instead of checking the email address
- Clicking the attachment on a phone where details are harder to see
Attackers rely on routine and speed, not technical tricks.
What to do right now (Actionable Takeaways)
- Pause and do nothing for a moment
No payment. No reply. No clicking attachments. - Check if the invoice was expected
Look at your records or ask internally. If no one was expecting it, that is your first red flag. - Verify using known contact info
Call the vendor using a phone number you already have on file. Do not use contact details in the email. - Do not open unexpected attachments
Especially PDFs, ZIP files, or “secure invoice” links you did not request. - Report it internally or to IT
Even if you did not click anything, reporting helps protect others and improves filtering.
What if someone already clicked or paid?
This happens more often than people admit.
If it did:
- Stop interacting with the email immediately
- Disconnect the device from Wi-Fi if something opened or downloaded
- Contact IT support right away
- Notify your bank if payment was sent
Fast reporting often turns a major issue into a manageable one.
How to prevent this going forward
You do not need complex systems to reduce invoice fraud.
- Set a rule that all payment changes are verified by phone
- Create a short approval process for invoices
- Train staff that it is okay to slow down and ask
- Use email reporting tools so suspicious messages are flagged easily
Clear expectations protect both your money and your people.
When it’s time to get help
It may be time to involve IT support if:
- Invoice or payment scams keep showing up
- Staff are unsure what is safe to open
- You handle ACH, wire transfers, or sensitive financial data
- You want better email filtering and simple reporting
- You want practical training that fits how your business actually operates
At Cyber Lift, we help Portland-area businesses put calm, realistic safeguards in place without overcomplicating things.
Final thought
A weird invoice email does not mean something is wrong with your business.
It means you are normal.
The safest move is not rushing. It is pausing, verifying, and having a clear plan. When teams know what to do, these situations stop being scary and start being routine.
And that peace of mind is worth far more than any invoice.
