PayPal Says 1.6 Million Customer Details Stolen in Breach
Ticketmaster Announces Data Breach Affecting 5% of All Users Hundreds of
Hotels Affected by Data Breach at Hotel Booking Software Provider
3 Billion Yahoo Users Breached
These are just a few of the headlines we saw in 2017. But last year was a record year for data breaches 88% over 2016. (https://blog.gemalto.com/security/2018/04/13/data-breach-stats-for-2017-full-year-results-are-in/). Some of last year's breaches were only reported last year but in reality done as far back as 2013!!! Why does it take so long for companies to discover and admit to data breaches and how much is this costing us? These are some questions posed Gemalto and what are the consequences imposed on these companies, many like PayPal that have had repeat breach issues!
So what does this have to do with a small business like YOU....everything! You, like the big companies, are responsible for ALL THE DATA AND CREDIT CARD INFO your company collects; either by phone, Internet, website, in-person or monthly recurring billing. If that data is users fraudulently and it can be traced back to your company, your company and maybe even YOU can be held responsible for all incurred fees and costs of that breach!
How can I avoid a breach, I can't afford it! First, sit with your Merchant Processing Solutions Inc. rep and learn what we do to protect you against fraud and breaches. Secondly, check with ALL your software providers to make sure that you are up-to-date on all security patches that are deemed needed. Third, check your computers, firewall, and Internet provider to make sure they have everything in place to keep your data safe.
Here are some quick tips:
1. NEVER store any credit card info on your computers.
2. NEVER store any credit card info in card files or storage cabinets in the office or elsewhere.
3. DON'T allow your employees to write down credit card information and keep it at their desk. Should they need to write it down, it needs to be shredded before they pick up the next call.
4. NEVER allow your technicians to add the credit card information to their contract and carry that around in their vehicle.
5. DON'T allow your customers to email you their credit card information.
6. DO get a secure gateway to accept & store credit card payments.
7. DO integrate your website to a secure gateway to allow your customers to make payments to your company from the privacy of their own home/office without you taking any of their info.
8. ALLOW each of your employees to have a username and password to take payments directly into the gateway and send the client an email receipt without writing anything down or compromising the customer's info.
9. DO equip your technicians with MOBILE CARD READERS to accept credit card payments while on the road. It is more secure and costs less!
10. DO speak with Merchant Processing Solutions Inc. to set you up on the best gateway product for your company....
Most recently, I was told about another type of breach, more common among smaller businesses, employee theft. This company had all their recurring payments in a file in their file cabinet. Once a month, someone would go into the file cabinet and key-enter all the credit cards, print the receipts, mail them to the customers and refile the folder. An employee was unhappy and felt she was going to be fired from the job. She knew no one would go for that file until the beginning of the next month. Using her cellphone camera, she took photos of all the credit card info contained in the company's folder. She then sold the cards on the "black market". Eventually, the credit card company found out what happened but it was too late to save the business. They had lost the trust of the customers, they no longer had cash flow entering the company. They tried to hang on but 4 months later they closed their doors. The moral of the story is that breaches and fraud can happen to ALL SIZE BUSINESSES...DON'T LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU!
Call Merchant Processing Solutions Inc. Today @ 954-938-2420!
