On The MATCH List? Here Are Your Options

So you’ve figured out you’re on the MATCH List. You’re scared, you’re confused, and you’re spiraling about how you’re going to keep your business in business. There are so many things on the internet about the MATCH List, but not a ton of guidance about what to actually do in the moments after finding out. If you’re looking for action items you can do today, now that you’ve found out you’re on the MATCH List, this blog is for you. Keep reading to learn more about the MATCH List, what your options are, and how to get early removal from MATCH ASAP.

What is the MATCH List, Exactly?

The MATCH List is essentially a blacklist. Here is what it means:

Your information has been placed on an industry-wide database of businesses
You and any other owners are now identified as high-risk
You’re now barred from processing credit card payments
You and your business were likely added to the list by acquiring banks
There is no direct way to get removed from this list
You must wait a five-year penalty period before aging off the list
Some cases get resolved sooner with legal help

Here’s how it works from Mastercard’s end:

Mastercard Alert To Control High-risk Merchants (MATCH Pro) lets an acquiring partner look up whether another acquiring partner has terminated a merchant in the past and the reason for said termination, to help with an onboarding decision.

Acquirers will use MATCH Pro during the merchant onboarding process to identify potential risks associated with the merchant
Acquirers add terminated merchants to MATCH Pro to alert other acquirers in the ecosystem of the potential risks associated with the merchant
The MATCH Pro API service provides customers with the ability to develop an automated system-to-system method to access MATCH Pro
MATCH Pro API integration reduces the time associated with MATCH Pro activity during due diligence and post-termination from one day to real-time responses

How Did I Get On The MATCH List?

Banks and payment processors want to know that the businesses they work with follow certain rules and regulations. The MATCH List makes it easy for them to determine who would be most likely not to follow those rules and regulations, reducing their risk. Makes sense, right?

However, if you are one of the businesses that has ended up on the MATCH List, it is not a fun place to be. You may not even know why you have been placed on it. It could even be through absolutely no fault of your own, and it could even be part of a ripple effect of being a victim of identity theft or fraud.

Here are the reason codes for the MATCH List:

01 – Account Data Compromise
02 – Common Point of Purchase
03 – Laundering
04 – Excessive Chargebacks
05 – Excessive Fraud
06 – Reserved
07 – Fraud Conviction
08 – Mastercard Audit Program
09 – Bankruptcy or Insolvency
10 – Violation of Standards
11 – Collusion
12 – PCI Noncompliance
13 – Illegal Transactions
14 – Identity Theft

You likely broke one of the above rules. The most common ones include excessive chargebacks and PCI Noncompliance. If you have had too many chargebacks within a period of time, or if you aren’t following the required card data security standards, you have been placed on the MATCH List.

What If I Don’t Know Why I Am On The MATCH List?

What if your chargeback percentage is within the threshold and you’ve been following the PCI standards? What if you have absolutely no idea why you have been placed on the MATCH List?

Unfortunately, this is very common. Businesses usually have no idea that they have been placed on the MATCH List until an application gets denied or your payment processor drops you. Your bank has absolutely no obligation to let you know why you have been placed on the MATCH List, let alone tell you why.

This can be very frustrating for business owners just looking to get back on track.

Who Can I Talk To In Order To Get Off The MATCH List?

Naturally, your instinct is to want to pick up the phone and call someone to fix this entire situation as quickly as possible. However, getting off of the MATCH List is not as easy as 1-2-3.

There are only two ways to get off the MATCH List: Do your time or seek legal help for early removal. Very rarely are merchants able to get off the MATCH List on their own, and that is by design. Merchant law is complex and bends in favor of the banks and payment processors.

You can give your bank or payment processing company a call to see if you can get more information about why you are on the MATCH List. In many cases, businesses get placed on the MATCH List in error, and maybe this has happened to you. If you keep detailed records, you may be able to quickly and easily prove your innocence.

However, it is important to remember that the banks and payment processors have absolutely no obligation to give you any sort of answers, next steps, or solutions to fix your issue. This can be incredibly frustrating.

What Is My Next Step?

Keep running into walls when searching for answers on what to do?

Here’s what you can do today to help get yourself off the MATCH List and back on track:

Ensure that you did not go over the chargeback threshold. Check your records and make sure you are under 1%. If you are, go to the next step.
Check your records to see if you have become a victim of fraud. In many cases, business owners have no idea until they have been placed on the MATCH List.
Review the PCI Noncompliance standards and make sure you are following everything to a T.
If you have passed all of the above, give us a call to seek early removal from the MATCH List.

How Do I Get Early Removal From The MATCH List?

The penalty period for being on the MATCH List is five years. After five years, you will age out of the MATCH List, and you can go back to business as usual. You can open a merchant account, process credit card payments again, and everything will be back to normal.

However, waiting five years is highly unrealistic for most business owners. There are plenty of high-risk merchant processors who may be willing to work with you, but they come with lengthy contracts and extremely high fees.

If you want to skip the five-year waiting period, forget paying high fees, and get back to business as usual, give us a call. We can negotiate on your behalf to get you off of the MATCH List.

MATCH List Help with TFM Law

If you have found yourself on the Match List, you have options. Don’t wait for the five-year period to be over; get back to business ASAP.

The Law Offices of Theodore Monroe focuses on litigation and counseling in the areas of payments, credit card processing, e-commerce, direct response marketing, and Federal Trade Commission enforcement.

Last year, the firm removed 100% of the people who came to us from the MATCH list.

Theodore F. Monroe, Founder of TFM Law, has successfully:

Represented merchants recovering funds from processors
Structured processing relationships to comply with Card Brand requirements
Drafted and negotiated contracts involving payment facilitators and ISOs
Represented continuity merchants in compliance and litigation issues
Fought for numerous companies in suits brought by the Federal Trade Commission and obtained excellent results for firms in the digital products, loan modification, government grant, and nutraceuticals industries

Before opening his firm, Mr. Monroe practiced law with Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May (now Reed Smith LLP) and Lewis, D’Amato, Brisbois & Bisgaard (now Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith), where he defended numerous accounting and law firms in professional liability actions, and insurance carriers in bad faith actions.

Before becoming a lawyer, Mr. Monroe worked as a forensic accountant at Coopers & Lybrand, which provided him with a unique background in forensic accounting and financial analysis among litigators in Los Angeles. Mr. Monroe studied at Duke University Law School, achieved a BS with Honors in Accounting from the University of Kentucky, and is a member of the California State Bar and the Kentucky State Bar.

For more information and to get off the MATCH List, visit us at HowToGetOffMATCH.com.