12 supplier warning signs to check before you pay

Stop paying and check first

1. "Our bank account has changed." Confirm through a contact you verified earlier; this pattern is described in the FBI IC3 alert.
2. The payee does not match your verified contract arrangement, for example a personal account or a company you have not checked.
3. Pressure to pay outside the platform or payment route you agreed, so its protection no longer applies.
4. New fees after you paid that you cannot verify independently. Agreed duties, destination charges and genuine carrier bills are normal; check them with the carrier or your broker directly.

Get more proof before you go on

1. No register result on gsxt.gov.cn, or the credit code belongs to another company. A missing result can also be an input or access problem; check again another way before deciding.
2. Status not active, or on the abnormal-operation list. Ask why; it is a reason to check, not a verdict.
3. Certificates you cannot verify with the issuing body, or naming a different company with no explanation.
4. Full payment up front on a first order, with no inspection.

Practical signs (editor's checklist, not an official list)

1. Avoids any live look at the production site or warehouse.
2. Price far below every other quote for the same specification.
3. Agrees to everything, asks nothing about your specs, packaging or market.
4. Urgency: "price valid today only", "last stock".

What to do

• Check the registration and certificates (related pages).
• Pay only to the payee in your verified contract arrangement.
• Pay the balance after checking the goods against written acceptance criteria.
• If you already lost money: see "I paid and they stopped answering".

Still uncertain

• Items 1–4 follow official fraud warnings; items 9–12 are practical experience. This list does not name or accuse any company.