Summer Security Check-Up—How to Avoid Common Pitfalls During Busy Seasons

With summer just around the corner, it’s time for all businesses to have a security check-up when it comes to their payment processing. This is especially important for small or on-the-go businesses who utilize mobile credit card processing. Between the good weather and the increase in travel tourism, certain businesses become especially vulnerable to credit card fraud, while customers face card cloning and identity threats on a daily basis.

Why Is My Business at Increased Risk for Fraud?

Seasonal businesses, and those that gain popularity from tourism, often face swelling crowds during the summer. Likewise, farmer’s markets, festivals, and attraction kiosks will see a dramatic increase in customer traffic. Savvy thieves know this, and they know that your employees may become distracted in the frenzy of handling your crowded business. As you approach your busy season.

Here Is What you and Your Employees Need To Remember:

• No matter how busy you are, unless you are using EMV terminals, ask for a photo ID for every single credit card transaction. Card cloners play the odds, and while they may never guess a PIN number, they bank on you never asking for ID or comparing signatures. This is especially important if you use a mobile phone credit card reader, because they anticipate that you’ll be too caught up in navigating the app to pay attention to security.
• Your busiest times make you easy pickings for a thief, so be a good leader and role model for employees. They’ll inevitably get push-back from a hurried customer who feels they are unnecessarily slowing down transaction times. You need to give them the support they need to work efficiently, while encouraging them to always utilize best safety practices. Posting your payment policies may alleviate some of this.
• If you use a traditional terminal, watch for anyone who seems to fiddle with it, or gives it an unusual amount of attention. Thieves plant card cloning devices when they think no one is watching.
• If you’re utilizing mobile processing, resist the urge to hop on to public Wi-Fi to save cellular data. Those unsecure networks are open season for tech-savvy thieves.

AVPS wants all of our clients to have a safe and profitable summer, so take this time to give yourself and your employees a security refresher. With smart vigilance, you can show those thieves that your business isn’t up for grabs in their game of fraud.