"Hi, this is Dale from the corrective billing department, calling about your card processing account. Our audit shows you were overcharged, and there's a credit of about $850 waiting for you. Call me back so we can release it."
Here's a hypothetical, and everyone in it is made up. Marisol (made up) runs Copperkettle Cafe (a made-up cafe). She heard that voicemail at 6:15 a.m., before the first rush.
She called back at 2:30. Dale was friendly. He already knew her business name. He named her actual card processor. He read her a case number, slow, so she could write it down.
Then he walked her through it. "Pull up your latest statement. Do you see a credit line for about $850?" She didn't. "That's the problem. Email me a copy of the statement so billing can push it through. Today, if you can."
Marisol had the PDF open. Her finger was on Send.
Then she asked one question: "If you're my processor, why don't you have my statement?"
Dale said only billing could see it. Then he went quiet.
The pattern is real. BBB Scam Tracker reports from April, July and August 2026 describe nearly this exact call: a "billing" or "processing center" caller promising a refund of roughly $800 to $850, a case number to sound official, and a request to email over the merchant statement. In the August report, the owner sent it. The caller already had the business's details and claimed ties to the owner's real processor.
It's a newer coat of paint on an old play. In a 2013 case, the FTC alleged that card-processing sales agents called small businesses and led them to believe they were with the business's current processor, Visa or MasterCard, or its bank.
Red flags
- A caller from "merchant services" or your processor's "billing department." The FTC has described agents who let owners believe they were with the current processor, the bank, or Visa or MasterCard (FTC).
- A surprise refund or credit you have to "verify." The ask is your statement, a screenshot, or account details (BBB Scam Tracker).
- Your real processor already has your statement. Anyone asking you to send it to them is telling on themselves (BBB Scam Tracker).
- A case number, a friendly tone and your business name. None of that is proof. Caller ID can be faked too (FTC).
- Pressure to act today, or to sign a form they email or text you. The FTC warns some agents ask owners to sign blank documents (FTC).
- A pitch that your terminal is outdated or "noncompliant." The Minnesota AG says to check with your current processor before you sign anything new (Minnesota AG).
What to do
Hang up. Don't email the statement. Don't read out your merchant ID, bank details, or login (weAudit).
Call your processor yourself, using the customer service number printed on your own statement, not one the caller gave you. Ask if anyone requested changes on your account.
If they're your processor, they already have your statement.
Already sent it? Call your processor and your bank the same day. Ask the bank about blocking debits you didn't authorize. Save the voicemail, the number, and any email address they gave you.
Signed something? Ask for copies of every page right away. The FTC says a salesperson who won't hand them over could be a scammer.
Report it at ReportFraud.FTC.gov, to your state attorney general (find yours at NAAG.org), and to BBB Scam Tracker.
Then watch your next few statements for new fees, a new company name, or a changed rate (weAudit, Minnesota AG).
Marisol (made up) closes the PDF, hangs up, and dials the number on the bottom of page one. Her processor has no record of any credit. Or of anyone named Dale.
Sources
- FTC, Scams and Your Small Business: https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/scams-your-small-business-guide-business
- FTC press release on card-processing sales agents (Jul. 30, 2013): https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2013/07/ftc-charges-marketers-deceiving-small-businesses-buying-creditdebit-card-processing-services
- Minnesota Attorney General, Credit Card Processing Service Solicitations: https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Consumer/Publications/CreditCardProcessingServiceSolutions.asp
- BBB Scam Tracker report (Aug. 3, 2026): https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/lookupscam/1379260
- BBB Scam Tracker report (Jul. 13, 2026): https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/lookupscam/1352960
- BBB Scam Tracker report (Apr. 15, 2026): https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/lookupscam/1256836
- WeAudit, Merchant Services Scam Calls (Oct. 2026): https://www.weaudit.com/merchant-services-scam-calls/
- FTC: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov
- BBB Scam Tracker: https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker