As unfortunate as it may be, scams have always been a part of life. Everyone has to be mindful of people that are trying to take advantage of certain situations or certain weaknesses. The restaurant industry is especially prone to scammers. One of the more recent scams I’ve seen lately involves people posing as a loyalty program and signing up restaurants. They then have access to the restaurant’s computer system and can pull sensitive POS Data. This scenario made me think back to times over the years that we have gotten calls from our customers facing similar issues. Whenever customers faced this situation, we would suggest these 6 ways to help secure their POS system.
- Always confirm the identity of the person on the phone. If you are suspicious, ask the caller if you can call them back before you give them access to your computer. Many times, someone with less-than-credible intentions won’t bother.
- Before clicking any links, confirm the website by hovering over the web link that came to you. CBS always uses their website cbsassist.com to gain access to your computer. If anyone claims to be from your POS provider and uses a different website than before, be suspicious. Most companies that change their login methodology will inform their clients prior to doing so. Also check out this article from PC World on how to confirm suspicious websites.
- Make sure you are logged into the POS company’s website portal or using the tools they told you they would use to gain access. Your providers use secure connections that they have invested a load of time and money into, so be wary if they aren’t channeling you into this tool.
- Know who is working on your equipment. Have a relationship with the company. When in doubt, call your POS provider to make sure the service call is legitimate.You can also request photos of the service techs that will be making calls to better identify who should be there versus who shouldn’t.
- If you are uncomfortable, sit and watch the user as they are on your computer. If the screen blacks out, there is a good chance they are up to no good. Disconnect them immediately and call your POS provider to have them check things out. If the person is onsite, stay with the technician.
- Utilize a PCI scanning company to make sure there are no vulnerabilities, no viruses, no skimmers or other applications that are taking the personal data off of your POS hardware.
At the end of the day, security is your responsibility. Know who is working on your system and monitor the work people are doing in order to keep your customers’ identities and credit information safe. By taking small steps today, you are saving you and your company potential tragedy tomorrow.
What do you do to protect yourself from scammers? Sound off in the comments below!
