Warning: I admittedly know nothing about the Portugese banking system.

In the US there are many organizations, a number of them non-profits, who solicit payments or donations, then verify check account numbers and routing numbers and even credit card numbers. Ex. routingtool.com

This can drastically reduce overhead costs for some. They usually, after verifying numbers, ship out the payment papers every couple of weeks for processing by professionals.

This is not a tool for thieves. Sadly, all technology has opportunity for abuse.