Payee Name–IBAN Mismatch

Seeing a warning like "the recipient name and IBAN do not match" while making a payment can be worrying at first. In fact, this warning is a security feature designed to protect you. This service, called Verification of Payee (VoP), checks — before you send the money — whether the recipient name you entered and the IBAN really belong to the same person. In this guide we explain what the warning means, which result types there are, and what you should do.

What is Verification of Payee (VoP)?

VoP is a verification service that checks whether the recipient's name and IBAN match before the payment is initiated. Its aim is to provide protection especially against fake-invoice and redirection fraud; because even a mathematically valid IBAN can belong to the wrong person. VoP goes beyond the IBAN's structural validity to try to confirm "whom" you are paying. For the scheme detail, see the Verification of Payee page.

Match result types

Result	Meaning	What to do?
Full match	The name and IBAN are consistent	A good sign; still confirm the recipient and the request separately (VoP alone does not prevent fraud)
Partial (close) match	There may be a small spelling difference	Check the suggested name, and if correct, fix it
No match	The name and IBAN are inconsistent	Reconfirm the details from scratch, do not send
Could not be verified	The check could not be performed	Proceed with extra caution, confirm the recipient

What should you do if you receive a warning?

1. Confirm the details. Verify the recipient's full legal name and IBAN from a trusted source (for example, the recipient themselves).
2. Look for a spelling error. In a partial match there is usually a small difference; read the suggested name carefully.
3. Watch out for pressure of urgency. Be sceptical of requests saying "send it right now"; this is common in fraud.
4. Check the IBAN separately. Check the structural validity with the IBAN validation tool (structural validity does not mean the right person).
5. If you are not sure, do not send. In a misdirected transfer, recovering the money is hard and not guaranteed.

If you sent it wrongly

If you sent it despite the warning and the money went to the wrong person, contact your bank immediately and ask it to create a recall request. But recovering the money is not guaranteed and may depend on the recipient's cooperation. For the steps on this, see the how to reverse a wrong SEPA transfer and SEPA transfer returned pages.

Summary

The payee name–IBAN mismatch warning (VoP) is a security feature that protects you from misdirected transfers and fraud. Take the warning seriously: do not send without confirming the details, check the spelling difference in a partial match, and stop the transaction if you are not sure. Verification is the cheapest safeguard in such transactions.