Invoice and QR-code scams to watch for on the South Coast

Published 2026-05-27 by Woodruff Training

Speak to enough small businesses along the South Coast (the cafés, letting agents, trades and small offices between Brighton, Worthing and Portsmouth) and the same handful of scams come up again and again. Two in particular are worth knowing about, because they are cheap for criminals to run and surprisingly effective.

This post describes common, widely reported scam patterns so you can recognise them. It is general guidance, not a report of a specific incident.

1. The changed bank details ("invoice redirection")

This is the one that costs businesses the most. It usually goes like this:

  1. A criminal gets into, or convincingly imitates, a supplier's email.
  2. You receive a real-looking invoice, or a note that "our bank details have changed."
  3. You pay as normal. The money goes straight to the criminal, and it is very hard to get back.

How to stop it: treat any change of bank details as a red flag. Before paying, call the supplier on a number you already have on file (never the number printed on the new invoice) and confirm the change verbally. Build this into your payment process so it does not depend on one person remembering.

2. Fake QR codes ("quishing")

QR codes are everywhere now, on parking meters, menus, and payment terminals, and criminals have noticed. The trick is simple: a sticker with a malicious QR code is placed over a genuine one, or sent by email. Scan it and you land on a convincing fake page asking for card or login details.

How to stop it:

  • Be wary of QR codes on stickers, especially in car parks and on payment machines. Check for anything stuck over the original.
  • Look at the web address the code opens before typing anything. If it is not the official site, close it.
  • For anything involving payment, type the address yourself or use the official app instead of scanning.

The common thread

Both scams work by catching a busy person on autopilot. The defence is not clever technology. It is a small pause and a habit of verifying through a second channel. Sharing this with your team, and practising it, is most of the battle.

We help South Coast businesses build these habits through staff training. Get in touch if you would like a hand.