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How to recognise this before you pay

1. The part number returns exactly one supplier

   Genuine industrial parts are stocked by distributors, listed in catalogues and discussed in forums. A code that exists on one website and nowhere else was invented to send you there.

2. A large company enquires from a free mailbox

   Procurement departments write from their own domain. Gmail, Outlook and similar addresses do not become legitimate because the signature says otherwise.

3. Replies are directed to a slightly different domain

   Check the reply address character by character against the company's real website. A city name or extra word appended to a famous brand is the whole trick.

4. The supplier wants payment before shipping

   Advance payment to a supplier you found only through the buyer's enquiry is how the money leaves. Established suppliers offer terms or escrow.

5. The supplier's domain is young, or recently changed hands

   A registry lookup takes thirty seconds. A "manufacturer since 2004" operating from a domain registered last spring is telling you something.

6. No company registration number

   Registered companies in most of Europe must publish their registration number. Check it against the national register rather than trusting the footer.