Warning: PDQ Scam targeting local businesses

Please be aware (and ensure your staff have the proper understanding) that there is a scam doing the rounds recently involving Card Payment (PDQ) Machines in the Essex area. We advise sending around an email to all front-of-house staff to make sure they know the procedure to ensure you do not become a victim.

What is the scam?

A courier comes to the site to change your existing PDQ machine. When the individual changes it, they instead install their own PDQ machine which is linked to their merchant number.

The courier may have fake identification and be quite convincing - stating that the machine is faulty or they are delivering an upgraded version. All transactions done via this new machine are passed to a different merchant ID and not your own. 

What do to remain safe and protected against this scam?

• Only let your PDQ machine be exchanged if you know about it.

• Ring your merchant in the first instance - talk to the help desk to confirm if a change has been organised. Use your own phone to do this, do not use the courier's phone.

• Do not let the individual touch your machine until the proper checks have been completed.

• If the PDQ machine has been changed, you will need to check the first transaction to ensure it is still linked to the correct merchant number and business name on your PDQ slip.

To check, you can put a transaction of 1p through the machine and ensure it goes through properly. You can always refund the card back afterward.  

Why are we passing on this information?

Recently we have received reports that local businesses may have been tested out in this way. The couriers have left quite quickly when the businesses started to check out if the exchange was arranged. Please protect yourself by running these simple checks.

In many cases, it may be that changes and updates are legitimate, but if you have not been informed and are not expecting an update please be vigilant and call your merchant before letting them do anything with your device.