Did you know, the AFP survey reports that 80% of organizations faced attempted or actual payment fraud in 2023, with checks the most targeted at 65% followed by ACH debits at 33% and wires at 24%. Two thirds said checks were hit by attempts.
Now look at ACH. Nearly a third of businesses experienced ACH fraud in 2022, and it explains common patterns like account takeovers and ACH kiting. If you move money by ACH, you’re on the field whether you want to be or not.
FBI IC3 data shows more than $12.5 billion in 2023 losses to business email compromise and related schemes, which often start by hijacking vendor communications or bank detail changes. If you still enter vendor details from email, that’s a problem. Continue reading this article to learn more about how your business can avoid being a target in these rising frauds.
What Are the Types of Payment Frauds
- Vendor impersonation and bank-detail changes sent by email, often riding an existing thread
- Unauthorized ACH transactions after credentials or routing details leak from checks or files
- Account takeovers through phishing and malware
- ACH kiting that exploits settlement delays of one to two business days
- Duplicate or inflated invoices that slip past review when teams are rushed
- Paper check theft, washing, and reprints that hit your account later
How Accounts Payable Payments Automation Helps in Payments Frauds
With accounts payable payments automation, you can reduce fraud exposure by removing email and spreadsheets from the steps that matter and by enforcing controls every time. That’s the point of Accounts Payable Payments Automation. Zenwork Payments focuses on three things that directly map to the attack paths: vendor identity and onboarding, controlled payment execution, and complete auditability.
If you are evaluating accounts payable automation software, keep the below checks in mind.
1) Vendor identity and onboarding must be system-driven
What to require
- Self-service onboarding through a secure link (no PDFs bouncing around)
- Built-in W-9 collection and storage
- Real-time TIN match checks before you ever pay someone
- Ability for vendors to manage bank accounts without emailing sensitive data
What Zenwork Payments provides
- Vendor portal with self-onboarding via secure link, W-9 collection, and free real-time TIN matching
- Vendors can add multiple bank accounts and update details inside a controlled flow
These steps cut down the social-engineering window that produces many ACH and check fraud losses. This is also where accounts payable automation solutions stand out. If the system does not verify identities or tax info in real time, it’s not helping enough.
2) Payment initiation needs approvals, limits, and traceability
What to require
- Role-based access, per-user permissions, and multi-step approvals for higher dollar payments
- Payment scheduling and bulk processing with review
- Full status tracking and history for every payment
- Options to pay by ACH or check based on risk and vendor preference
What Zenwork Payments provides
- Customizable approval workflows and access control
- Unlimited ACH and check payments with tracking and history
- Standard ACH, FastPay ACH, and checks, plus scheduling and bulk processing
- Real-time status and two-way sync with QuickBooks to keep the ledger honest
This is the control layer that slows attackers down and gives you clean logs when you need to investigate. If you’re looking for accounts payable automation software, test how easy it is to enforce dual approval for a high-risk vendor, and how visible the final payment record is to auditors.
3) Monitoring and audit readiness
Industry experts recommend real-time monitoring for unusual patterns like off-hours spikes or new destination accounts in risky regions. In practice you need system logs, immutable history, and encryption everywhere data stays or moves. Zenwork Payments provides audit-ready logging and security and data encryption to support that model. Pair platform controls with bank-side tools like ACH filters or blocks for a layered defense.
4) Checks are still a target, so treat them accordingly
Checks remain the top fraud medium according to the AFP. If you must send checks, keep everything inside a controlled workflow and track mailings end-to-end. Many teams are moving recurring vendors to ACH to shrink the attack surface. Zenwork Payments supports both and keeps the record clean either way.
5) Compliance that closes gaps
Sloppy tax data creates openings. Zenwork Payments auto-prepares 1099 forms as you pay and e-files at federal and state levels. Combined with real-time TIN match and accurate vendor profiles, this prevents a lot of end-of-year chasing and reduces the pressure that leads to mistakes. This is exactly where accounts payable automation solutions is helpful.
If You’re Already Dealing with a Payment Fraud
Move fast. Contact your bank immediately, file the required affidavit, and try to recall funds within the bank’s window. Document the event, notify affected parties, and tune controls based on what actually happened. Daily reconciliations matter because they shorten the time between loss and detection.
FAQs
1) Why is payment fraud hard to avoid in 2025?
Because checks, ACH, and email-based bank changes are now prime targets for attackers.
2) How should AP teams tighten payment security?
By moving vendor onboarding and bank updates into a secure portal with real-time TIN checks and approvals.
3) How does Zenwork Payments help reduce fraud risk?
Zenwork Payments centralizes vendor onboarding, approvals, and ACH or check payments with strict roles and full audit trails.
Conclusion
Zenwork Payments is accounts payable automation software built for control, speed, and clean records. It combines vendor onboarding, payment execution, and 1099 compliance in one place, so you are not mixing together spreadsheets and email approvals. That is the heart of Accounts Payable Payments Automation, and it’s where accounts payable automation solutions deliver a measurable fraud-risk reduction without burying your team in busywork.
If you want a straightforward plan, start with the checklist above, migrate recurring vendors to ACH, and lock down bank detail changes behind approvals. Then review your records every week. Zenwork Payments gives you the rails to do this consistently while keeping finance close to the numbers. That is how you stop being an easy target.
The Best Time to Automate Your Accounts Payable is NOW