scammer holding credit card hacking

Beat The Business Scammers: Your Guide to Staying Safe

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Business scams are rife. Scammers are getting savvier and more prevalent, increasing the risk of businesses being scammed. But as clever as the business scammers are, there are steps you can take to protect your business and your customers. 

As a business owner, if you’re processing or storing customer credit card data, you’re responsible for the security of that data. We share six actions you can easily take to safeguard against business scams.

1. Make Sure Your EFTPOS Terminal Software Is Certified And Up-to-Date.

Each time you take an EFTPOS payment, the transaction data is scrambled before it even leaves the terminal. Then, the data is protected by point-to-point encryption (P2PE) standards as it moves through the process. These standards do change from time to time so it’s important to stay up to date.

If you’re a Smartpay customer, we help you with this by providing software updates and hardware upgrades when required. These security and compliance updates ensure your terminal is one step ahead of any possible business scams.

2. Keep Your EFTPOS Hardware Safe And Check For Tampering

There are some business scams that involve gaining access to card data by tampering with the physical EFTPOS terminal. Check your terminal regularly and ask yourself these questions: 

  • Have any stickers been removed, replaced or damaged?
  • Does any part of the cabling look different?
  • Are any additional or unknown items of electronic equipment connected to the EFTPOS terminal?

If you’re a Smartpay customer and notice anything suspicious, disconnect the terminal immediately and contact us on 1800 433 876.

3. Keep Your Electronic Equipment And Internet Connection Secure

Scammers will have a much more difficult time trying to access your EFTPOS terminal remotely if it’s connected to a safe and secure network. 

The following tips will help:

  • Use up-to-date anti-virus software.
  • Always change passwords from their factory defaults and update them regularly.
  • Use strong passwords that include a variety of characters (a combination of uppercase, lowercase, special characters and numbers).
  • Don’t ever connect your terminal to an unsecured network or public Wi-Fi.

When the terminal isn’t in use, make sure it’s stored securely and can’t be accessed by unauthorised people.

4. Be Careful With Surveillance Cameras

Surveillance cameras are a good way to monitor the security of your EFTPOS terminal. Make sure you have a good view of the terminal so you can see who accesses it. However, be sure that the angle of the camera can’t inadvertently record customers while they’re entering their PIN. Otherwise, scammers could access this data.

5. Protect Card Data

If you must collect or store customer credit card data, make sure it’s held safely in a locked or secure location.

You should have a policy on handling credit card information and limit access to the card data to only those who really need it. Don’t keep data for longer than necessary and always dispose of card data carefully and thoroughly. 

If you’re collecting card data and other information, try to store the two sets of data in separate locations. This will minimise the risk of it falling into the wrong hands.

6. Stay Alert

Make sure you and your staff are alert to possible card fraud and suspicious behaviour. Scamwatch, run by the ACCC, is a good resource to learn about current business scams. 

Knowledge is power when it comes to business scams. We want our Smartpay customers to feel empowered against scams, knowing that you’ve got our advanced security features behind you.

Want to know more about surcharging?

With Smartpay, we help to keep you safe from business scams and save your business money with surcharging. Keen to learn more about how it all works? Get in touch with the team at Smartpay to discover more about surcharging for your business.

Say Goodbye to EFTPOS Bills or Contact Sales on 1800 531 784

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