B2B procurement fraud is a growing threat in the digital economy. Fake suppliers, shell companies, and impersonation scams cost businesses billions of dollars annually, with the FBI reporting over $2.7 billion in losses from business email compromise alone in 2025. When you are sourcing products, materials, or services from online vendors, verifying that the supplier is legitimate is critical. A face search engine like facesearching offers a powerful tool for vendor verification: by performing a reverse face search on a supplier's representative photo, you can quickly check whether the person's identity is consistent across the web. This guide explains how to use face search to verify online vendors and suppliers, protect your business from procurement fraud, and build safer B2B relationships. For more on business verification, see our guide on business verification with face search.
The Growing Problem of B2B Vendor Fraud
Online B2B marketplaces have made it easier than ever to find suppliers worldwide, but they have also made it easier for fraudsters to create convincing fake vendor profiles. Common vendor fraud schemes include phantom suppliers (fake companies that take payment and disappear), identity impersonation (using stolen photos of real businesspeople to create fake vendor profiles), bait-and-switch (showing quality products but shipping inferior goods), and invoice fraud (sending fake invoices that appear to come from legitimate suppliers). In many cases, fraudsters use photos of real people — often executives from legitimate companies — to create convincing LinkedIn profiles, company websites, and trade platform accounts. A reverse face search can reveal whether a vendor representative's photo appears under multiple company names or on stock photo sites.
How to Verify Online Vendors with Face Search
Using facesearching to verify online vendors is straightforward and can be done in under a minute. Here is the recommended process for any new supplier relationship.
- Request a video call: Ask the vendor representative for a video call rather than just email or phone communication. Screenshot a clear image of their face during the call.
- Upload the photo to facesearching: Perform a reverse face search using the screenshot. The face search engine will scan social media, news sites, and other public web pages for matches.
- Review the results: Check whether the face appears consistently under the same name and company. Red flags include the face appearing under different names, on stock photo websites, or in unrelated business contexts.
- Cross-reference with business registries: Combine face search results with traditional due diligence — check business registration databases, trade references, and industry directories.
- Document your findings: Save the face search results as part of your vendor due diligence file. This creates an audit trail showing you performed reasonable verification.
Red Flags That Face Search Can Reveal
A reverse face search can reveal several types of red flags that traditional vendor verification methods miss. If the vendor representative's photo appears on a stock image site like Shutterstock or Getty Images, the profile is almost certainly fake — real businesspeople do not use stock photos as their headshots. If the same face appears under multiple names or representing different companies, this suggests identity theft or a fraud ring using stolen photos. If the face appears on scam warning websites, consumer complaint boards, or fraud databases, that is an immediate disqualifier. Conversely, if the face appears consistently across a legitimate LinkedIn profile, company website, industry conference recordings, and professional publications, this builds confidence in the vendor's authenticity. For more red flags, see our 10 red flags guide.
Integrating Face Search into Your Procurement Process
To maximize the value of face search in vendor verification, integrate it into your standard procurement workflow. Add a face search step to your vendor onboarding checklist, alongside traditional checks like business registration verification, credit checks, and reference calls. For high-value contracts, make face search mandatory before any payment is released. Train your procurement team to recognize the red flags that face search can reveal, and establish clear protocols for what to do when suspicious results are found. facesearching's results include confidence scores and direct source links, making it easy to document your verification process for compliance purposes. For more on procurement safety, see our supply chain due diligence guide.
Beyond Vendors: Verifying All B2B Contacts
Vendor verification is just one application of face search in the B2B context. The same approach can be used to verify potential business partners, consultants, freelance contractors, investment opportunity promoters, and conference speakers. In each case, a quick reverse face search provides valuable context about whether the person's online identity is consistent and legitimate. For businesses that operate internationally, face search is especially valuable for verifying contacts in unfamiliar markets where traditional due diligence resources may be limited. By making face search a standard part of your B2B due diligence toolkit, you can significantly reduce the risk of fraud while building more trustworthy business relationships. Try it now with the facesearching face search engine.