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Updated by 01.25.2024
5 Ways to Prevent ID Thieves from Accessing Your Customer’s Credit Card Data
Criminals are constantly getting brazen in their constant attempts to steal credit card information. Therefore, it is important for any business that conducts business using credit cards to take all of the necessary steps to protect the credit card data of their customers from fraud. Let’s take a look at five steps that can be used to accomplish this:
1. Secure All Electronic Data
It is always safer to store all of your customer’s credit card information on computers that are not accessible to the Internet. However, this may not be possible for your particular business. If this is the case, encrypt any files that you are going to send over the Internet. Just to be on the safe side, you should also encrypt credit card information that is in your email, storage devices, and computers.
2. Secure Equipment and Documents
Lock up all storage devices, files, and documents in an office or file cabinet at the end of the day and when they are not being used. During office hours, only allow employees to see the information who have a legitimate reason. You should also shred any information that you no longer need. If there is not a distinct need for your business to hang on to the credit card information of a customer, destroy it immediately. Be absolutely certain that the information can not be read at all. Using locks and chains to secure laptops to their workstations is a method that is becoming common in offices.
3. Train Employees
Perform thorough background checks and check all references of any employees who are going to have constant access to credit card information. Limit all credit card information only to people who are required to see it. Offer rewards to employees who report weaknesses in your security or suspicious employee activity.
4. Create a Response Plan
Disconnect any computer as soon as they are found to be compromised. Create a list of who to notify if a security breach occurs. This can include companies affected by the breach, banks, credit bureaus, customers, and local police. Contact an attorney and make sure that you have fulfilled your legal obligation to contact all of the parties that are involved. If a breach occurs, immediately make note of all the employees who were present. This will allow you to question them individually at a later time.
5. Secure Vendor Relationships
Only work with reliable and reputable companies that are able to support your requirements for credit card information security. You should require all service providers that deal with your client’s credit card information to notify your company in the event of any security breaches at their offices, even if the particular breach did not compromise any of your data. You will also need to check out the security practices of the various companies that you use to outsource various tasks. These companies can include call centers, payroll, Website hosting companies, and any other company that may come into contact with the credit card information of your customers.
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