Fraud Prevention
& Security
Automotive equipment and invoice fraud are rising threats to businesses. Learn how to verify our billing communications and spot phishing scams.
Is This Message Really From Us?
Before you wire funds, pay an invoice, or send payment details, check these four things. It takes 30 seconds.
Check the sender's actual email address
SAFE@lumssales.com
DANGERAnything else — no matter what the display name says
Verify the phone number independently
SAFE1-800-555-8931 — our official office line
DANGERAny number you haven't verified yourself
Watch for sudden payment method changes
SAFEPayment methods agreed upon during order placement
DANGER"We can no longer accept business checks or credit cards..."
Never trust urgency in an email
SAFEEquipment orders and installations have planned schedules
DANGER"Pay today or your lift order/installation is cancelled"
How Fake Emails Work
Scammers are sophisticated. They copy real employee names, company logos, our Shady Point address, and even our email signature layouts. The differences are subtle — but once you know what to look for, they are easy to catch.
A scammer can make the display name say anything — "Randy Lum (Lum's Sales & Service)" — but the real email address underneath will be something like [email protected]. Always click on or hover over the sender name to reveal the actual address.
If you were told you could pay by business check or credit card, and then you get an email saying cards are no longer accepted and you must wire immediately — that is a textbook fraud tactic. We coordinate payment expectations early and do not change them over email.
Scammers copy everything about our email signatures — names, titles, logo, and our Shady Point address — but swap in their own phone number. If you call the number in the scam email, the scammer answers and pretends to be us. Always look up our number independently.
Urgency is a scammer's most powerful weapon. Shop outfitting, equipment shipping, and lift installations have planned timelines. If an email is pressuring you to act "immediately" to "avoid delivery cancellation," that pressure is designed to prevent you from verifying the invoice.
Scammers may use real employee names but assign them wrong titles, or use names you've never worked with claiming to be "Senior Accountants" or "Accounts Payable Officers." If something doesn't match what you expected, call us.
Subject
Re: Quote for 2-Post Automotive Lifts - Shady Point, OK
My sincere apologies, but we can no longer accept business checks or credit cards for the payment of equipment balances due to system auditing.
Effective immediately, all remaining balances must be sent via bank wire transfer.
Sudden payment changes + urgency = classic fraud
Randy Lum, Owner
Lum's Sales & Service
23214 Glover St.
Shady Point, OK 74956
Wrong number — our real number is 1-800-555-8931
Illustrative example based on actual invoice interception tactics.
The Vendor Callback
Two minutes on the phone can save tens of thousands of dollars.
Here is how to verify invoice changes or payment instructions every time.
Ignore contacts inside the email
The fake phone numbers or email links included in a scam message lead straight to the scammer. They will answer and pretend to be Randy or our staff.
Find our number yourself
Use a source you already trust—our website, a business card, or past paperwork. Our official toll-free number is 1-800-555-8931.
Call and verify verbally
"I received an invoice or message requesting bank wires/payment changes and would like to verbally confirm details with Randy or our contact."
Scam Dictionary
Why do scammers do this? Commercial garage equipment invoices are large-ticket transactions. Diverting just one payment is highly lucrative for criminals. Here are terms you should know.
Phishing
/ˈfɪʃ.ɪŋ/A fraudulent email designed to look like a legitimate business communication. Like fishing — scammers cast out bait (fake billing emails or invoice updates) hoping someone will bite and send money or login info.
Spoofing
/ˈspuː.fɪŋ/When a scammer disguises their email address, display name, or phone number to impersonate someone you trust — like a Lum's Sales & Service employee.
Invoice Fraud
/ˈɪn.vɔɪs frɔːd/When scammers intercept vendor emails and modify the bank routing details or payment links on invoices, tricking you into sending equipment payments to their fraudulent account.
Vendor Callback
/ˈvɛn.dər ˈkɔːl.bæk/A crucial defense process. Before paying any updated invoice, you call the supplier using a trusted phone number you obtained independently to verify bank details verbally.
SOMETHING FEEL OFF? CALL US.
Our team would far rather field a quick "just checking" call than see a customer lose equipment funds to fraud. Verifying takes two minutes and costs nothing.
Never feel rushed. Never feel embarrassed. Just call Randy Lum or our office directly.