Criminals are increasingly reusing fraudulent bank accounts to target multiple businesses, exposing the growing scale and organization of payment fraud.
According to French payment security firm Sis ID, a single fake bank account is used to target an average of 34 companies within its network, allowing fraudsters to expand their operations while repeatedly exploiting the same banking details.
The findings highlight how payment scams are becoming more coordinated, with criminal groups using fraudulent account information to deceive businesses across different industries and countries.
Sis ID said it had identified and blocked more than 14,000 fraudulent International Bank Account Numbers (IBANs) by late October 2026. The company's data suggests that criminals are operating payment fraud schemes on an industrial scale rather than carrying out isolated attacks.
Patrice Bouexel, president of Sis ID, told Reuters that the repeated use of fraudulent accounts allows scammers to multiply the impact of their operations. Criminal groups frequently target wealthy economies and large corporations, where successful scams can generate substantial financial gains.
According to Bouexel, many fraud trails originate in the Asia-Pacific region or Russia. Large-scale scam operations also operate in countries such as Myanmar, where some workers are reportedly coerced into participating in fraudulent activities.
The findings point to the increasingly complex nature of organized financial crime, with criminal networks operating across borders and targeting businesses in different markets.
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Sis ID uses multiple information sources and intelligence shared across its business network to verify bank details and identify suspicious accounts. Around 36% of its automated verification decisions rely on information contributed by other companies.
The firm said suspicious accounts can often be flagged in near real time, although investigations involving more complicated cases may take several hours.
Its services help protect hundreds of billions of euros in annual payments across industries, including energy, automotive, chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
The growing reuse of fraudulent bank accounts highlights the challenges businesses face in preventing payment scams. As criminal networks expand their reach, sharing intelligence and strengthening bank account verification are becoming increasingly important for companies looking to protect their financial transactions.