How to Verify a Ship Supply Enquiry Is Genuine

Verify a ship supply enquiry in three steps: confirm the vessel and its port call, confirm the person sending it holds a real role with the operator or manager, and confirm any payment or bank change by phone with a number you already hold. Treat an unsolicited enquiry as unverified until all three pass.

Most enquiries are real. The problem is the small share that are not, and the cost of finding out after the stores are delivered or the bank details are changed.

Why fake or spoofed enquiries are rising

Impersonation and data theft now sit in the same threat picture. A cyber extortion group known as n0n added 38 shipping, port and logistics companies to its dark web leak site in a single batch on 12 October 2026, according to Splash247.

The same batch was reported by The Loadstar, which noted the group threatened to publish data unless multimillion-dollar ransoms were paid. Stolen inboxes and contact lists make convincing fake enquiries easier to write.

Attackers also reuse real identities. Ransomware claims against Precision Vehicle Logistics and the Port of Tanjung Pelepas landed four days apart last month, as The Loadstar recapped. Leaked names, email threads and vessel details are exactly the material a fake enquiry needs.

Step 1: Confirm the vessel and its port call

Start with the ship, not the sender. An enquiry that cannot be tied to a real vessel and a real port call fails at the first gate.

• Check the IMO number, not just the name. Names are reused and misspelled deliberately.
• Confirm the vessel is actually heading to your port. Cross-check the ETA against AIS and the agent's berth line.
• Match the vessel to a DOC holder, manager or owner. If the sender's company does not appear on that chain, ask why.

The Strait of Hormuz shows how fast the picture changes. Iran has warned that ships switching off identification and tracking equipment during passages it deems unauthorised will be treated as hostile, as reported by Splash247. When vessels go dark, a name alone proves nothing.

Step 2: Confirm the person and their role

Ask what the sender buys and who signs. A genuine technical or purchasing superintendent will answer both without hesitation.

• Request the role in writing: technical superintendent, purchasing, fleet or operations.
• Call the switchboard number from the manager's own website or your existing file, never a number in the enquiry email.
• Ask for the vessel's agent at your port and confirm the appointment with the agent directly.
• Check the email domain character by character. Look-alike domains are the most common tell.

Charterparty terms decide who appoints the agent and who pays for husbandry, so a sender who cannot explain their authority is a warning sign. Charterparty detail has become more important as chokepoints constrain routing, as The Maritime Executive noted.

Step 3: Verify bank details by phone, every time

Bank-detail changes are the highest-risk request in ship supply. A single changed IBAN can move a full PDA or stores invoice to a fraudster.

1. Never change bank details from an email alone, even from a long-standing contact.
2. Call a number you already hold for that company and read the new details back.
3. Ask the caller to confirm the change on company letterhead or a signed addendum.
4. Log who confirmed it, when and on which number.
5. If anything feels wrong, hold the payment and escalate before dispatch.

Sanctions exposure sits alongside fraud risk. The EU has sanctioned major Russian shipyards, including naval and commercial repair facilities, as gCaptain reported. A genuine enquiry from a sanctioned counterparty is still an enquiry you must decline.

Quick verification checklist

CheckPassFail signal Vessel identityIMO matches AIS and DOC holderName only, no IMO Port callETA and berth confirmedVague or shifting ETA Sender roleNamed buyer, reachable by switchboardFree email domain Bank detailsConfirmed by phone on a known numberChange requested by email only SanctionsScreened against current listsUnclear ownership chain

What genuine verification costs you

The checks take minutes when the vessel and contact data are already in front of you. They take hours when you are rebuilding the ownership chain from scratch after a suspicious email arrives.

That is the practical argument for reaching decision-makers before the enquiry lands. VesselReach detects vessels near your ports and expected arrivals, then identifies the company behind each vessel and the decision-makers by role, so a real enquiry arrives from a contact you already matched to a real port call.

How VesselReach helps

VesselReach turns vessel traffic into verified conversations rather than cold, unverifiable emails.

• Vessel intelligence and AI company targeting: see vessels near your ports and expected arrivals, then let the platform identify the right company behind each vessel, which means you know who should be contacting you before an enquiry arrives.
• Decision-maker discovery and multichannel outreach: reach operations, procurement, technical superintendents and chartering by email, WhatsApp or phone, staged and personalised, which means fewer look-alike senders slip through.
• AI enquiry handling with human handoff: enquiries are answered from approved information and escalated to a person on Android or iOS when the AI cannot answer reliably, which means suspicious or unusual requests reach a human quickly.

Book a VesselReach demo to see how verified vessel and contact data reaches your sales team before the ship arrives.