---
title: "Is a callback enough to stop vendor fraud?"
description: "When a phone callback stops vendor fraud, when it fails (wrong numbers, skipped calls, voice cloning) and what to add so the control holds."
url: https://realpayee.com/answers/is-a-callback-enough-to-stop-vendor-fraud
canonical: https://realpayee.com/answers/is-a-callback-enough-to-stop-vendor-fraud
date_published: 2026-10-05
date_modified: 2026-10-05
author: RealPayee
---

# Is a callback enough to stop vendor fraud?

> A callback stops most vendor bank-change fraud only if it happens every time, to a number from your own records, with a contact who knows the account. It fails when staff call the number in the fraudulent email, skip it under deadline pressure, accept an inbound call as verification, or hear a convincing cloned voice. It also leaves little evidence.

Make it stronger by holding the change in the system until confirmation, binding the confirmation to the known contact, and recording the result automatically.

_Published 2026-10-05 · Updated 2026-10-05 · By RealPayee_

## Where callbacks fail in practice

- **Number from the request.** The fraudster supplies a phone number in the email or invoice, and answers it.
- **Skipped under pressure.** A busy close, a pushy sender or a senior-sounding request means the call does not happen.
- **Inbound calls.** The fraudster calls AP first. An inbound call is not a callback.
- **Voice cloning.** A familiar-sounding voice is no longer proof. See [deepfake scams](https://realpayee.com/blog/deepfake-scams).
- **No evidence.** A tick in a spreadsheet does not show who was called or what they said.

## How to make a callback hold

- Block the change in the ERP until verification is recorded, so it cannot be skipped.
- Only use contact details from the vendor master file, contract or a previously paid invoice.
- Confirm specific details (old account, new account, reason) rather than asking "did you send this?".
- Require a second approver for the edit.
- Record the contact, channel, time and approver.

Compare approaches in [manual callback verification vs RealPayee](https://realpayee.com/alternatives/manual-callback-verification).

## Frequently asked questions

### Should we stop doing callbacks if we use software?

Keep callbacks in your policy as the fallback for vendors who cannot use other channels. Software makes the step consistent and recorded.

### How common is vendor impersonation?

In the AFP 2025 survey, 45% of organizations cited vendor imposter fraud in 2024, up 11 percentage points. See [payment fraud statistics](https://realpayee.com/payment-fraud-statistics).

## Sources

- [AFP: 2025 Payments Fraud and Control Survey press release](https://www.financialprofessionals.org/about/learn-more/press-releases/Details/survey-79-percent-of-organizations-were-victims-of-attempted-or-actual-payments-fraud-activity-in-2024)

## Related

- [Manual callback verification vs RealPayee](https://realpayee.com/alternatives/manual-callback-verification) - Manual callback verification compared with RealPayee: what a callback catches, where it breaks (wrong numbers, skipped steps, voice cloning) and how to make it stronger. (markdown: https://realpayee.com/alternatives/manual-callback-verification.md)
- [Free vendor bank-change verification policy template](https://realpayee.com/templates/vendor-bank-change-policy) - A free, copy-ready vendor bank-detail change and callback verification policy template plus checklist for AP teams. (markdown: https://realpayee.com/templates/vendor-bank-change-policy.md)
- [Deepfake scams: how AI voice and video fraud targets finance](https://realpayee.com/blog/deepfake-scams) - How deepfake scams and AI voice cloning target finance teams, what the Arup and Ferrari cases teach, and a verification protocol your team can run today. (markdown: https://realpayee.com/blog/deepfake-scams.md)
- [Vendor verification: how to verify vendor bank details before you pay](https://realpayee.com/vendor-verification) - A practical guide to vendor verification for finance teams: how to confirm vendor bank-detail changes, run callbacks, and prevent vendor impersonation fraud. (markdown: https://realpayee.com/vendor-verification.md)

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