With the advancements in technology, it’s just a matter of time before your business could become a victim. Everyone who works with credit card and/or chip readers in any capacity should be aware of skimming threats and be watchful. It could cost your business thousands and it may be someone right under your nose.
The card skimming wave was active this week in Oklahoma where the waitress was fortunately caught by her manager. Read the full story here. By the way, the waitress DID have an adverse background that would have been found had they run a background check.
The new era of thievery is now called “shimming”. The thieves are inserting ultra thin circuit boards through any card slot to read EMV card details from inside the device.
What is the difference between skimming and shimming?
Skimming is recognized as fraud that “skims,” the information off the magnetic strip on a credit or debit card.
Shimming refers to an attack that captures data by tapping directly into the EMV chip.
7 Tips to Protect your Business:
- Inspect card and chip readers regularly in and around the card slot
- Background every employee dealing with credit cards and payments
- Trust your instincts when it comes to your employees
- Look into pay-at-the-table or mobile devices and software to take credit card data out of scope
- If you must write down credit card data, protect it by locking it securely away
- Inspect for hidden cameras or unrecognized devices
- Ensure your host network is checking card verification codes of both magnetic strip/chip-based transaction authorization processes
7 things to Protect Yourself:
- Trust your gut. Rely on your instincts. Know your surroundings
- When in doubt, don’t use the ATM or hand your card over to a cashier
- Make sure your card stays in sight. Never let anyone walk away with your card
- Use your credit card instead of your debit card. Don’t use your PIN unless you have to
- Not all ATM’s are equal. Be particularly careful in a tourist areas
- Use NFC or contact pay, Apple Pay, Android Pay or Samsung Pay (payment tokens). Always monitor your accounts
- Be aware of transactions that force your card to use the magnetic stripe
We have your safe-guarded practices in mind always. Remember, trust, but always verify. For ideas to help safeguard your devices, call Card Systems now for all your POS, Credit Card Processing and Equipment & Software needs.
