As noted in our previous newsletter, no sooner had we posted on our blog last week about the ease with which ID theft can be perpetrated, than news broke of another massive data breach, this one affecting upwards of 80 million or so Anthem Blue Cross customers.
Category: AVP Solutions News and Events
The Science of Super Bowl Spending — and ID Theft
Economics has been called an imperfect science by some of its critics, and differing conclusions about the benefits of the recent Super Bowl to the local economy may show that the field does still lack the precision regularly used by, say, astrophysicists.
“I Spy” More Changes in Payments, More Need For Security
As you know from being a savvy/frequent readers of these posts, the world of payments shares a critical motif with life itself: Change is the only constant. And by “change,” we don’t mean those coins in your pocket, left over from the last time you used cash. No, we’re talking about how the way payments are made is shifting, faster and faster — bringing along the need for constantly-changing security, as well.
Under the Frost: Security Tips, Hearings & Getting Ready for Spring
Traditionally, winter is a time to burrow inside, and to get ready for spring: stitching up, repairing and mending items for the outdoor season ahead. And under the frost, plants are doing the same thing, getting ready to sprout and bloom in a few weeks time.
2015: A Sheep Year — But A Safe One?
The New Year celebrating isn’t quite over yet — next month brings us the Chinese New Year. Those followers of Chinese Astrology know that each year is given an “animal” personality, so our upcoming “sheep year” is presumed to be — like its totem animal — somewhat gentle and easygoing.
Chip-and-Pin — or “Chip-and-Sig?”
The new year always brings change — not only the resolutions we manage to keep, but change in the form of new laws, products, calendar deadlines, etc. One such change, slated for 2015, is the arrival, at last, of “EMV” cards as the default standard for American credit card users, those micro-chipped credit and debit cards that are already the standard in most European countries.
New Year’s Traditions and Prognostications
Another year has come and gone so quickly, and we dare say, it will feel like only 7 or 8 months more have gone by before we’re wishing you a “Happy 2016!” But we get ahead of ourselves. 2015, in all its promise and mystery, still looms ahead. And as you plan your celebrations, have you considered smashing some dishes, or walking around with empty suitcases?
A Credit Card Theory of Everything
Quantum physics is suddenly big in pop culture. Black holes and spacetime, for example, are central to both the plots of current films “Interstellar,” and “The Theory of Everything.” In the latter, cosmologist Stephen Hawking spends his life trying to find a single theory to “explain” all of life. Similarly, those mindful of payment card security in an age of proliferating hacks are looking for a single theory — an unassailable, breach-proof idea — to make payments secure and safe for the foreseeable future.
Payments Need Safe Holiday Travels, Too!
As you may have seen in last week’s newsletter, we mentioned that in addition to the holiday revelry, and holiday sales, your business is enjoying, you’ll also want to be careful of a potential uptick in fraud and hackery in your business’ databases and Point-of-Sale devices.
