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The experts are predicting an exciting holiday season for merchants, that is a lot of customers and a lot of sales. As a merchant you are on the front lines of the war against credit card fraud. Here are a few things to consider for this busy time of the year:
You will hopefully have long checkout lines this time of year. Make sure that your employees are trained and still looking out for signs of credit card fraud. It is easy just to sit back and try to check out as many customers as you can but if you can stop fraud from occurring even once it is worth the extra minute or two a customer has to wait. They may grumble and give you dirty looks but it is for their own benefit. Remember, make sure the signature strip is signed and that it matches what is on the customer’s ID. It is OK to ask to see ID, especially for larger purchases. Make sure your employees do not accept damaged cards. Also make sure that you and your staff keep focused on the job at hand and don’t get distracted by the customer. They may just leave you a headache.
While you have no control over your customer’s spending habits keep an eye on any company credit cards. Check the online statements regularly and watch for unusual activity like multiple transactions within a short period of time. Thieves may also try to use a card as many times as they can before their victim realizes it has been lost and cancels it, and they will do so in a short period of time. If you see a customer coming back multiple times a day be suspicious.
Remember to keep your computer’s security up to date. Make sure your antivirus protection is enabled and up to date and all software is updated. Make sure you are PCI compliant and if you are, you can sleep soundly at night. Also remember there was a liability shift in 2015. If you have not upgraded to one of the new EMV terminals you need to do it now! How much longer can you risk it?
