Be Sure to Double Check Your Bills – You Might be Paying for Something That Isn’t Yours

Scammers have been around since the beginning of time.  Technology has only made it easier for these scammers to commit fraud. 😭

During my time as an accountant, I have received bills out of nowhere, requesting that they be paid immediately.  This is especially true with medium to large organizations.  Their hope is that the Accounts Payable clerk (or whoever is paying the bills) blindly pays the bill, resulting in a payday for the scammers.  ☹️

Unfortunately, some of these bills get paid to the scammer.  Maybe the AP clerk isn’t paying attention, or an Executive Director is paying bills while exhausted and doesn’t notice it.

How can you avoid an error like this?

✅ Have a system in place in which someone must sign off on all bills before they get paid.  That way, bills have at least two sets of eyes on them. The person receiving the bill and the person approving it. 👀