Tackling e-commerce fraud: How Allianz Trade Pay protects B2B transactions

The rise of B2B e-commerce presents opportunities for growth alongside challenges, such as cyber fraud. To protect e-commerce platforms and secure growth, businesses must implement strong anti-fraud measures.

B2B e-commerce is growing rapidly. In 2025, its global turnover reached $7.7 trillion – more than double that of B2C. But this growth is also attracting fraudsters. From invoice fraud to buyer fraud, fraudsters are constantly evolving their strategies and refining their methods.

Companies can counter the efforts of cybercriminals and respond effectively with innovative anti-fraud solutions such as Allianz Trade Pay. With a range of integrated features designed specifically for B2B e-commerce companies, Allianz Trade Pay helps you reduce the risk of fraud without compromising your operational efficiency or growth. 

The shift from traditional B2B to digital is driven by changing customer expectations and technological advances. Buyers are looking for speed, efficiency and transparency, and are increasingly relying on digital information to make purchasing decisions. For B2B sellers who want to remain competitive, this requires a shift towards digital platforms and online sales channels.

Aware of this shift, criminals are adapting their methods to target B2B e-commerce companies, targeting security flaws in B2B purchasing processes, which are often more complex than in B2C. The widespread use of remote working due t s further expands the attack surface, and the increase in online operations multiplies the opportunities for fraud.

Certain types of fraud are becoming more widespread, with fake customer fraud now the most worrying. This involves impersonating legitimate companies or executives to make purchases and then manipulating payments or deliveries. According to Allianz Trade, this is the most reported type of commercial fraud in 2023.

This type of scam is particularly risky for B2B: trusting relationships, deferred payment terms, and the lack of physical interaction give fraudsters time to act before they are detected. Longer sales cycles involving multiple teams delay the discovery of fraud, sometimes by several months. As B2B transactions often involve large sums of money, the financial losses can be considerable.

Artificial intelligence is redefining the fraud landscape for both attackers and businesses. On the fraud side, generative AI tools make it possible to quickly create fake identities, write near-perfect emails, and clone the voices and images of executives. These techniques facilitate the proliferation of fake companies, fictitious delivery addresses, and fraudulent accounts, making fraud more credible and difficult to detect.

On the defense side, AI offers companies powerful ways to identify suspicious behavior. AI solutions can spot anomalies in customer data, flag payment inconsistencies, and adapt continuously through machine learning. This strengthens prevention and enables faster response to new threats.

As fraudsters refine their techniques using AI, it is becoming essential for B2B e-commerce companies to deploy these technologies themselves in order to secure their transactions and maintain customer trust.

We designed Allianz Trade Pay to specifically address the challenges your B2B e-commerce business faces in today's fraud landscape, without adding complexity.

• Digital buyer onboarding: We integrate fraud prevention measures by screening potential buyers from the first point of contact. The platform's advanced API-based technology verifies in real time whether a company is legitimate and creditworthy.
• Know your business: We verify that the buyer is trustworthy. We check the buyer's personal information and whether the buyer's bank account is real and linked to the company.
• Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) service: Thanks to our partnerships with financial institutions and BNPL service providers, you can offer deferred payments to your buyers. This allows you to increase your revenue in complete security.
• Collection and protection against unpaid invoices: We automate the collection of unpaid invoices from your customers (reminder process) and compensate you in the event of non-payment. This is an important protection, especially in cases of fake customer fraud, when fake buyers disappear with no intention of paying.

Fraudsters are constantly innovating, but you can stay one step ahead. With Allianz Trade Pay, you combine buyer verification, fraud detection, and protection against non-payment—all integrated into a single platform.

In the fight against fraud, Allianz Trade Pay offers B2B e-commerce companies what they need: a simple, secure and reliable payment process.

Want to find out how Allianz Trade Pay can secure the growth of your e-commerce business? Discover Allianz Trade Pay