Warning, Caution, Beware … Oh my!

Nov. 19, 2010 - PRLog -- As the economy still stays in a slump, we are finding other “merchant service” companies are using desperate measures to grow their client base.  Over the past few months, we had more reports from merchants that have been experiencing suspicious calls and on-location visits from, more than usual, hard pushing sales people than ever before.  We have recently received reports from our merchants receiving visits and phone calls from representatives implying they are from “your processing company” and wanting to discuss PCI Compliance and/or Risk Management.

Here are some examples to be aware of:

■ A company says that your credit card machine is not PCI compliant and they will send you a new machine already programmed for your account. Even if they don’t ask for personal information about the business, and we highly suggest that you do not accept any “reprogrammed” equipment without talking to your direct merchant services representative.

■ A company requests 3 months worth of processing statement to review for any security risks.  Security departments of a credit card processing company will speak with your direct representative, so before you give out any information, we suggest that you verify this request with your direct representative at your merchant service provider.

■ A company calls and says that they are calling directly from Master Card and/or Visa and are looking for 3 months of your processing statements to review your current charges. Whether it’s Master Card, Visa, Discover or Amex, none of these companies will be calling you directly.  Again it is always best to verify any request about your credit card processing account that doesn’t come straight from your direct representative at your merchant service provider.

■ Anyone who calls you and says that they are from “merchant services” is not being honest, as “merchant services” is the industry title, not the name of the business.  For example, it would be like an attorney calling their business Lawyer.  We also wouldn’t suggest you not giving out information about your business.

Any of the above examples, or similar situations that seem suspicious, are most likely a scam that could potentially lock you into a contract with extremely high fees, and/or gain access to private information about your business.  Please be cautious about these types of scams that have been more of an occurrence than ever before.  Please email us (info@fgmsusa.com) if you have any more questions on this serious matter as we would be happy to assist you with any questions or concerns. Visit http://www.fgmsusa.com for more details.

# # #

First Global Merchant Services is an electronic payment provider. We are a registered tier 1 merchant service provider with Visa and MasterCard which allows us to offer our clients the most competitive pricing while providing ongoing customer support.