## Purpose Use this checklist before approving an unusual, urgent, high-value, or otherwise high-risk financial transaction. The objective is to introduce deliberate verification before money leaves the company when fraud risk is elevated. ## Transaction Information Transaction reference: ____________________ Date: ____________________ Requested by: ____________________ Recipient: ____________________ Amount: ____________________ Currency: ____________________ Payment destination: ____________________ Purpose: ____________________ Payment deadline: ____________________ ## When to Use This Checklist **Use additional verification where a transaction involves:** - A large or unusual amount. - A new recipient. - Recently changed bank details. - An unexpected international account. - An urgent or confidential request. - Executive or senior management instructions outside normal processes. - A request to bypass normal approval. - An unusual refund. - Payroll or employee payment changes. - Gift cards, cryptocurrency, or unusual payment methods. - A new vendor with limited payment history. - Any situation that causes concern. ## Request Verification **Confirm:** - The requester is known and authorized. - The request was received through an expected channel. - The business purpose is understood. - Supporting invoice, contract, purchase order, or other documentation exists where required. - The amount matches the supporting documentation. - The recipient matches the expected recipient. - The payment details match approved records. ## Change Verification If payment details recently changed: - The Payment Change Verification Procedure was completed. - The change was independently verified. - A trusted contact method was used. - Verification evidence is available. - The person approving the payment did not rely only on the original email or message. ## Fraud Warning Signs Check whether any of the following apply: - Unexpected urgency. - Request for secrecy. - Pressure to bypass normal controls. - Slightly different email domain. - Changed bank account. - Changed country. - Different beneficiary. - Unusual writing or communication style. - Executive requesting unusual financial action. - Vendor requesting payment outside normal process. - Request arrived during travel, leave, holidays, or outside normal hours. - Requester claims they cannot be contacted normally. - Unexpected attachment or payment instruction document. Any warning sign should increase verification, not automatically prove fraud. ## Independent Confirmation For high-risk transactions: - Transaction independently confirmed where required. - Confirmation used a previously known contact method. - Contact details were not taken solely from the suspicious request. - Important transaction details were verbally or otherwise independently confirmed. Verified with: ____________________ Verification method: ____________________ Verified by: ____________________ Date/time: ____________________ ## Separation of Duties **Where practical:** - Requester is not the only approver. - Person entering payment details is not the only person approving payment. - High-value transaction received secondary approval. - Bank-detail changes and payment release are treated as separate control points. ## Final Review **Before release, confirm:** - Recipient is correct. - Bank/payment destination is correct. - Amount is correct. - Currency is correct. - Supporting documentation is correct. - Required approvals are complete. - No unresolved fraud indicators remain. ## Approval Prepared by: ____________________ Primary approver: ____________________ Secondary approver if required: ____________________ Approval date/time: ____________________ Transaction released by: ____________________ Evidence/reference: ____________________ ## If Something Does Not Make Sense Stop the transaction. Do not allow urgency, seniority, customer pressure, or vendor pressure to override verification. **Escalate to:** - Finance owner: ____________________ - Leadership contact: ____________________ - Alternative contact: ____________________ ## Practical Rule The higher the financial consequence, the stronger the verification should be. A short delay is usually cheaper than sending money to the wrong account.