A new supplier with a good price is exactly what you went looking for. It is also exactly what a fraudster offers. None of the checks below accuses anybody of anything — a genuine supplier will expect them, and most will send the documents without being asked twice.
1. Ask for the trade licence and check it
Every business in the UAE trades under a licence issued by the economic department of its emirate (on the mainland) or by its free zone authority. Ask for a copy, then confirm it with the issuer rather than trusting the PDF: mainland licences can be looked up through the economic department's online services for that emirate, and the larger free zones publish company directories. Check three things — the company name matches the one on the quote, the licence has not expired, and the licensed activity covers what they are selling you.
2. Check the TRN
A business registered for VAT has a 15-digit Tax Registration Number, and it must appear on any tax invoice. Registration is compulsory once a business's taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 a year, so an established trader charging you VAT should have one. You can verify a TRN on the Federal Tax Authority's website. If the TRN does not match the company name, or a supplier charges VAT without a TRN, do not pay the VAT until it is resolved — you may not be able to recover it.
3. Confirm the address exists
Look the address up on Google Maps and check the street view and photos. A wholesaler quoting for a container of material should have a warehouse or a store, not a flat or a shared business centre desk. A Maps listing with a long history and real reviews is a good sign; one created last month is not proof of anything, but it is a reason to visit.
4. Make sure the bank account matches the company
The account you pay should be in the same company name as the licence. Be very wary of a request to pay a personal account or an account in another country for a local purchase. And treat any message saying bank details have changed as suspicious until you have confirmed it by phone on a number you already had — not one given in the same message. Changed-bank-details emails are the most common invoice fraud there is.
5. Speak to a person
Call the landline on the licence or the Maps listing, not just the mobile on the quote. Ask something only a real supplier can answer easily: current stock, the brand they carry, how long delivery to your area takes. Genuine traders answer these without effort.
6. Start small
For a first order, keep the amount modest, pay on delivery or against a delivery note where you can, and avoid paying a large advance to a supplier you have never received goods from. Trust can be built over two or three orders; it cannot be refunded.
A real supplier never minds being checked. The ones who object to it are telling you something.
Quick answers
Is a free zone company allowed to sell to me on the mainland? It depends on the free zone and the activity, and goods moving from a free zone to the mainland are normally subject to customs duty. Ask the supplier how they deliver to the mainland, and check the licence covers it.
What if a supplier is not VAT-registered? Small businesses below the threshold are allowed not to register. They should then not charge you VAT at all.
Where PurchoSmart fits
Our AI procurement platform finds and calls suppliers and records what each one quotes, so you have more options and a recording behind every price. It does not vet or endorse suppliers — the checks above are still yours to make before you pay, and the terms say so plainly. Here is where to find more suppliers to check.