Square Up- Electronic Invoice T&C

[GON]

Earlier today I received an invoice for $750 from a vendor I never used before. I agreed to the $750, and no issue making the payment.

When I clicked on the "pay bill" portion of the email, I was sent to a site called Square Up. After entering my credit card information, there was a box to check at the bottom, which has become normal, that normally states you authorize this transaction.

I read the T&C of the box, and discovered the box was disguised as a T&C acceptance, but the box was for something else. The box authorized the vendor to save my credit card and automatically bill me (implied without requiring my direct consent) for future services.

No way I would agree to what checking the box allowed. I went ahead and pressed the submit button without checking the box. The invoice processed and transaction was billed to my credit card.

The box check was a bait and switch. Box was made to look like a requirement to check to pay the invoice, but instead the box was giving carte blanche to the vendor to pay any vendor bills in the future, without my prior authorization. Note- this is not a subscription service, but a one-time audit of some records I am paying to have performed.

Recommendation- make sure any box being checked connected to an invoice/ purchase is in fact a required box check to complete a transaction.

 

[dishdude]

Square is a popular payment platform for small business and it seems like all the payment platforms want to save your card info for future use, as if it is so hard to tap and have Chrome autofill it.

Use unique, autogenerated passwords for every site and always turn on 2FA if offered.

 

[GON]

Square is a popular payment platform for small business and it seems like all the payment platforms want to save your card info for future use, as if it is so hard to tap and have Chrome autofill it.

Use unique, autogenerated passwords for every site and always turn on 2FA if offered.

what is 2FA?

 

[Nukeman7]

what is 2FA?

Two-Factor Authentication

 

[Lubener]

I received an invoice for $750 from a vendor I never used before. I agreed to the $750

You lost me. Why would you make a payment from a vendor you never used before? Did you recently make $750 purchase somewhere?

 

[dnewton3]

You lost me. Why would you make a payment from a vendor you never used before? Did you recently make $750 purchase somewhere?

He'd never used it "before" ... In this circumstance, it was the "first" use of the vendor. The implication being that his statement was cut off. Could have been written this way:
"I received an invoice for %750 from a vendor I never used before this concern I just discovered." (I'm putting my words in his mouth, so to speak.)

Yes; his statement could be interpreted two different ways. You're missing his point. There is a "first" time for everything.
He's describing an experience which surrounds his "first" use; no previous experience with the vendor.

 

[GON]

You lost me. Why would you make a payment from a vendor you never used before? Did you recently make $750 purchase somewhere?

The purchase was a records audit. A very good friend recommended I consider using this firm for a record audit. My friend had great success with the firm, and that is why I chose to use the firm, rather then do the record audit myself.

The issue wasn't the vendor, the issue was a misleading box at checkout in the site drivin by Square. up. The intent of this thread is to share the experience, and suggest others consider reading that box at checkout with increased scrutiny. As @dishdude posted, they wanted to store my credit card information, and have the ability to autobill my credit card at a later time without my knowledge or approval.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Too many of these services popping up everywhere. Visa needs to take some of their billions in profits and design a common 2FA - so the request always comes from the same place and you know its legit. If its a scam you get a warning and the transaction ended.

They hope you don't notice the fraud either so they can make another 3.5%.