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Payments and banking

I have been given a payment record

Start with the transaction you can evidence, preserve its context and follow the recorded movement without assuming that an account name identifies the person who acted.

Investigate now

Start with what needs doing now

Use this route when a payment may require action, preservation or an early investigative decision.

Start the investigationWork through a payment record

Follow a realistic case from the first record through account access, onward movement and attribution.

Reference PAY-000Preserve firstBefore contacting a provider

Record the original material and volatile context before an account, device or session is changed.

Reference PAY-008Live account or applicationA payment session is already open

Decide what must be recorded before navigating, closing the session or changing security settings.

Reference PAY-201
Learn

Understand the evidence and the offender method

Use this route to understand what payment records mean, what they cannot prove alone and how offenders exploit payment systems.

Foundation explanationWhat can a payment record actually show?

Separate the recorded movement of value from control, knowledge and personal attribution.

Reference PAY-001Separate offender exampleDodgy Dave diverts an invoice

See how invoice diversion, a mule account and onward transfers create several independent evidence sources.

Reference PAY-232
Common questions

Go directly to the issue you need to resolve

PreservationWhich identifiers should I retain?

Keep the references that providers need to locate the event.

Reference PAY-006AttributionMoney movement is not personal attribution

Test who controlled, caused, knew about or benefited from it.

Reference PAY-010Alternative explanationsCould the payment account be shared?

Consider authorised, informal and unauthorised access.

Reference PAY-011SpeedCould useful records disappear quickly?

Identify volatile records and act while they remain obtainable.

Reference PAY-207
Browse every Payments and banking guidance page The complete reference library remains available when you need a narrower question.