"$89. PAST DUE. Restock: toner and packing tape." The Pay Now button sits under a vendor name that looks almost right. The shared inbox pings again: "Call this number if the charge looks unfamiliar."
Here's a hypothetical. Devon (made up) runs Quillmark Print Shop (a made-up storefront). An MCA debit hits the business account every weekday. Eighty-nine dollars feels like nothing next to that. The bookkeeper almost clicks Pay. Then they check: nobody ordered toner this month. The last packing slip matches a different vendor. The "help" number is not on any prior invoice.
Devon hangs up before calling. The button stays unclicked.
This is the fake invoice and subscription-renewal scam. Scammers bill businesses for products or services nobody ordered, hoping accounts payable just pays. The Federal Trade Commission warned about it in May 2026: unexpected invoices for tech support, domain registration, or SEO, sometimes stamped "past due," sometimes dressed up like a familiar company. On October 13, 2026, KY3 reported a Better Business Bureau warning with the same pattern: a receipt for a purchase you don't remember, a subscription renewal that threatens late fees, and a small "office supplies" invoice a business might pay without checking.
BBB's Scam Tracker Risk Report for 2025 ranked fake invoice and supplier-bill scams as the second riskiest scam type reported by businesses, with a median loss of $532. PayPal was the brand scammers impersonated most often in reports to BBB that year, and 15.2% of those reports were fake invoice or supplier-bill scams. That is impersonation, not an accusation against PayPal. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says these bills succeed because they look real and staff assume someone else ordered.
Why this hits MCA borrowers: cash is tight, and scammers size the ask under the "big purchase" filter.
Red flags
- An invoice or renewal for something nobody ordered or subscribed to (FTC, BBB).
- "Past due," late fees, or threats that push you to pay before you check (FTC, BBB).
- A Pay Now link or "help" phone number that only appears in the unsolicited message (BBB).
- A familiar brand in the From line or logo while your real portal shows no charge (BBB).
- A small dollar amount that feels easier to pay than to question (BBB's office-supplies example).
What to do
Do not click the link or call the number in the message. BBB says to open the company's own website yourself and use the phone number you find there, or sign in through the official app or portal.
Match every invoice to a purchase order, packing slip, or known subscription before you pay. The FTC says keep clear procedures for approving purchases and invoices from vendors you actually work with. The Postal Inspection Service says reconcile invoices against original orders and withhold payment until the details check out.
If the company name is unfamiliar, search it with "review," "scam," or "complaint," as the FTC recommends, and check BBB or your state attorney general.
If you already paid, call your bank or card issuer right away and ask about a recall or dispute. Report at ReportFraud.FTC.gov, forward phishing emails to reportphishing@apwg.org, and tell your state attorney general. If an MCA debit is about to bounce because money left for a fake bill, call your funder before the debit hits and say what happened.
Devon (made up) still has the $89 invoice in a folder labeled "do not pay." The toner never arrived. Nobody had ordered it.
Sources:
- KY3 / BBB warning, "On Your Side: BBB warns of fake invoice and subscription renewal scams" (Oct. 13, 2026) - https://www.ky3.com/2026/10/13/your-side-bbb-warns-fake-invoice-subscription-renewal-scams/
- BBB Marketplace Trust, Risk Report 2025 (U.S.) - https://bbbmarketplacetrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Risk-Report-2025-US.pdf
- BBB Scam Alert, "Fake invoice scam with PayPal twist hits business and consumers nationwide" - https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/31573-fake-invoice-scam-with-paypal-twist-hits-business-and-consumers-nationwide
- U.S. Postal Inspection Service, "False Invoice Scam" - https://www.uspis.gov/news/scam-article/false-invoice-scam