Unfortunately, identity theft can happen any time of year, to anyone.  At myPCI, we work diligently with each and every one of our merchant services clients to do whatever we can to help reduce the risk of data or identity theft.  With that said, there are a number of additional procedures that consumers can look for to further reduce the risk. Most people fail to realize that there are always a set of eyes watching our every move, and we need to look into protecting ourselves and our private information. So practicing common sense procedures like covering your PIN number when ...Read More »

Dateline: Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada: The Leader-Post Newspaper reports that police have uncovered a large skimming ring in that area. After learning 600 cards were compromised in a large skimming ring in Canada, people who still have magnetic stripe debit or credit cards might be persuaded in switching to chip technology.  According to police in the U.S. and Canada, card-skimming operations are becoming more and more popular. Skimming occurs when a person places a card-reading device in an ATM and skims the person’s banking information, then uses the information to make counterfeit cards in association with ...Read More »

For the successful growth of your business, security of data is of the utmost importance.  You’ve probably already taken many steps and have daily procedures in place to help ensure the mitigation of the risk of data theft. One of the best procedures you can practice is to ensure that your business is safe by continually keeping your credit card processing system up to date.  An outdated POS system can cause more problems than just slow connections or issues with reliability.  An outdated system can expose your customer’s credit card information and even your own ...Read More »

One of the most common questions that merchants ask is, “does PCI compliance mean that I am completely secure?” The answer is unfortunately, no.  No matter the type of the business or the number of transactions processed, no business can be completely secure. However, each business can take steps to mitigate the majority of the risk associated with data breaches by becoming compliant, and following daily procedures to stay compliant. Data security regulations will continue to evolve over time as organizations tasked with maintaining industry standards continue to include new technology and methods to further tighten regulations.  Working with the team ...Read More »

Cyber criminals are taking aim at smaller merchants who are less likely to be compliant with PCI standards, according to a recent Verizon Business report by Jen Mack, a former member of the PCI Security Standards Council. The report found that the most common attack methods are malware and hacking, SQL injections, and exploitation of default or guessable credentials. Most data breaches happen because merchants fail to make sure that security mechanisms are properly deployed. Mack says Level 3 and Level 4 retailers are being targeted by cyberthieves looking to steal ...Read More »

When signing up for a new merchant account, did you know exactly what you were being offered? Think about it, you probably signed up for an account because you wanted to expand your business and accept credit cards in some way. Most processors offer the basics of a merchant account, allowing you to accept credit cards with quick settlement and funding. With a big focus on ensuring the security of credit card data, businesses are looking for help from the merchant account provider to meet the requirements of the PCI DSS. To ease the burden and confusion of maintaining PCI ...Read More »

To help merchants fully understand the need for PCI Compliance, My PCI is making strong efforts to help our clients understand how everything works throughout the sometimes confusing process. Compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) data security standard is a requirement for all merchants that process, store or transmit credit card data. These requirements apply to all payment channels, regardless of industry or business type, including traditional retailers, mail order, pay-by-phone, and e-commerce merchants too. The PCI standard has been endorsed by all major credit card brands by their respective data security programs. Ensuring PCI compliance means adhering to ...Read More »

You are running a profitable business, and your decision to accept credit card payments has been a big reason for your success. Your customers like the convenience of paying with plastic, and you appreciate the organization that those transactions provide when you do your accounting. In the past, a key differentiator between companies used to be whether a business accepted credit cards. But with the vast majority of commercial entities opting to obtain merchant services accounts today, a new standard has arisen: whether or not a given business’s credit card processing system is safe. If your customers are not comfortable with ...Read More »