Merchant protection

Merchant Services Scam Calls: The Pitches to Hang Up On

If you accept cards, you get these calls. Someone says they are from merchant services, your rates are changing, your terminal is out of date, or they can cut your fees in half. Some are scams, some are aggressive sales, and almost none of them are your actual processor. Here is how to tell, and what to do if you already said yes.

Written by Robert Day, Founder and Managing Partner of weAudit.com, previously an executive at Fifth Third Processing Solutions, later Vantiv and Worldpay, now part of Global Payments, the world’s largest card processor. Published October 2026.

If you just got the call

Hang up. Then call your processor yourself, using the customer service number printed on your own merchant statement, not a number the caller gave you.

Do not read out your merchant ID, bank details or login, and do not sign anything a caller emails or texts you.

Already gave information or signed?

Skip to what to do if you already said yes. Acting the same day makes the biggest difference.

Figures in brief

$4.9 million: what the FTC required payment processor First American Payment Systems and two sales affiliates to return over false savings claims, hidden exit fees and unauthorized charges.
5,588: small businesses the FTC sent refund checks to in that case, with claim forms mailed to more than 16,000 others.
Zero: the number of times your real processor needs you to read out account details it already has.
Non-regulated: card processing has no licensing requirement for the people selling it, which is why so many callers can say almost anything.

The calls merchants get most

“Your rates are going up” or “there is a new network fee”

The caller claims a fee change is coming and offers to lock in a better rate if you switch now. Real fee changes from your processor arrive as a notice on your statement or in writing, not as a cold call from a stranger with a deadline.

“Your terminal will stop working unless you upgrade”

A new rule, a compliance deadline, a terminal about to be shut off. The fix is always a new machine, and the new machine often comes with a lease that runs for years and cannot be cancelled. If equipment really needs replacing, your own processor can confirm it in writing.

“We are your processor, we just need to verify your account”

Your processor already has your merchant ID, bank account and business details. Anyone asking you to read them out is trying to collect them. With enough detail, a bad actor can try to redirect deposits or sign you up for something you never agreed to.

“We can cut your fees in half”

Often a recorded message from a “merchant services department.” Savings promised before anyone has seen your statement are a sales line, not an analysis. The FTC’s case against First American alleged exactly this: false claims about savings and costs to get merchants to sign.

“You will be fined if you do not pay for PCI compliance today”

PCI compliance is real, and your processor may charge for it. But the demand to pay a stranger immediately, over the phone, is not how it works. Check with your processor and read about how PCI fees are actually charged.

Not every bad call is illegal

Some of these calls are criminals. Many more are legal sales calls from people who can say almost anything, because the people selling processing need no license, exam or education to do it. Legal is not the same as honest.

The FTC’s 2022 action against First American Payment Systems shows what the honest-looking end of the market can do. According to the FTC, the company and its sales affiliates made false claims about fees and savings, hid early termination fees, took money from merchants’ accounts without consent, and made it hard and expensive to cancel. Many of the businesses targeted had limited English. The settlement required $4.9 million to be returned.

The most expensive call is often the one you never get. Your current processor does not need to call you to raise your fees. It can add a line to your statement, or change a rate with a short notice most merchants never read. That is why weAudit looks at statements, not sales pitches.

How to tell a real call from a fake one

Real

Matches a notice you received in writing, and you can confirm it by calling the number on your own statement.

Suspicious

Urgent deadline, a threat of fines or shut-off, or savings promised before anyone has seen your statement.

Hang up

Asks for your merchant ID, bank details, login or a signature on the spot, or tells you not to call your processor.

What to do if you already said yes

Call your current processor on the number from your statement. Tell them what happened and ask whether any changes were requested on your account.
Call your bank. Ask about blocking or reviewing debits you did not authorize.
Keep everything. Emails, texts, the caller’s number, any agreement you were sent. Write down what was said while you remember it.
Report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Watch your next three statements for new fees, new company names or a changed rate. Use the statement decoder to check any line you do not recognize, and our page on junk fees for charges no network has heard of.

A word about us. weAudit will ask to see a merchant statement, because that is the only way to know what you pay. We will never ask for your bank login, never ask you to sign a new processing agreement, and never pressure you with a deadline. If anyone calls claiming to be from weAudit, call us back at 800-672-1292 before sharing anything.

Common questions

Is it a scam when someone calls saying they are from merchant services?

Often, yes. Many of these calls come from sales operations or outright scammers, not from your processor. Hang up and call your processor on the customer service number printed on your own merchant statement to check whether anything is really happening with your account.

Will my processor call me to ask for my merchant ID or bank details?

Your real processor already has them, so a caller asking you to read them out or confirm them is a warning sign. Never give account numbers, logins or your merchant ID to someone who called you.

Do I need a new card terminal because of a new rule?

Be very skeptical when the claim comes in a cold call with a deadline. If equipment really needs replacing, your own processor can confirm it in writing. Callers selling terminals often attach long, non-cancelable equipment leases.

What should I do if I already signed something on a call?

Call your current processor on the number from your statement, call your bank and ask about blocking unauthorized debits, keep copies of everything you were sent, and report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Then watch your next statements closely for new fees.

Are all merchant services sales calls illegal?

No. Many are legal sales calls, but legal is not the same as honest. The FTC’s case against First American Payment Systems alleged false savings claims, hidden early termination fees and withdrawals after merchants tried to cancel.

How do I know whether my current fees are fair?

Not from a caller. Work out your effective rate from your statement, list every fee that is not interchange, and get an independent review from someone who is not trying to sell you processing.

Not sure what you are paying? Send us your statement.

Our first audit is free and takes about five minutes of your time. No sales pitch, no new processor, no deadline. If there is nothing to find, you will know that too.

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800-672-1292

About this page: the First American Payment Systems details come from the Federal Trade Commission’s July 2022 announcement of the action and its 2024 and 2025 refund announcements. The FTC’s allegations were resolved by settlement. Call descriptions are common patterns reported by merchants; any specific call should be checked with your own processor.