You are here: silicon.com > Retail & Leisure > News

Chip and PIN security warning for retailers

Apacs tells shops to get wise to fraudsters...

Tags: chip and pin, apacs, security, fraud

By Tim Ferguson

Published: 6 September 2007 13:05 GMT

Retailers are being warned to beef up chip and PIN security to prevent fraudsters stealing card and PIN details by bugging terminals or 'shoulder-surfing' other customers.

The UK payments association Apacs has produced the Transactions with your chip and PIN terminal guidelines to highlight how card-accepting businesses can more effectively protect themselves and their customers.

The advice stresses the importance of raising staff awareness about how criminals target card data in shops and encouraging employees to report any issues or concerns they have.

Criminals can exploit chip and PIN readers by using bugging equipment or software to capture data or by installing fake equipment by posing as engineers, according to Apacs.

silicon.com Retail & Leisure

Get the latest retail and leisure news straight to your inbox. Sign up for the R&L newsletter today!

Sandra Quinn, director of communications at Apacs, said simple measures such as staff training will "significantly reduce" the chances of businesses falling victim to fraud or being targeted by fraudsters.

Other advice includes locating payment terminals where customers can use them without others being able to see their PIN number as they enter it.

Retailers are also advised to keep an inventory of terminal serial numbers and their location and use CCTV to monitor them.

Since chip and PIN was introduced Apacs says the technology has had a dramatic effect on reducing card fraud in the UK.

Since 2005 losses through face-to-face card fraud have fallen by 67 per cent.

Apacs also recently published guidelines advising consumers how to keep their PIN safe.

More than 900,000 UK shop terminals (98 per cent of all tills) have now been upgraded to chip and PIN, with more than 185 transactions taking place every second.

The chip and PIN security advice is available here.

  1. Zones
  2. Management
  3. Networks
  4. Software
  5. IT Services
  6. Hardware
  1. Verticals
  2. Public Sector
  3. Financial Services
  4. Retail & Leisure


  • Jobs
Home based UK Sales Manager - Nephrology - Renal - Life Science

You will be in regular communication with clients face to face, over the phone and by email so it is imperative that you very strong English ...

IT Designer / Architect - Fraud

Architect, Solutions Designer, Fraud Prevention, Fraud Detection, ACI's Proactive Risk Manager, PRM, Anti Money Laundering, Customer Verification, ...

C++ Application Developers Payment Solutions EPOS POS Terminals

Huxley Associates has an ongoing requirement for good solid C++ Developers who have good commercial experience working with EPOS systems, Point of ...

Petra Papinniemi
Legal Eye: Ecommerce held back by outdated laws
No wonder no one's buying...

Matthew Cushen
E-tailers: Be choosy overseas
Markets are not always what they seem

Tim Ferguson
'If you look at iPlayer from a distance, it's still very web 1.0'
Q&A: Erik Huggers, director, BBC's Future, Media and Technology

Kit Burden
Legal Eye: Tech could brighten retailers' gloom
Regulation and recession loom

Matthew Cushen
Retailers: Look to emerging markets
Comment: Massive opportunities if you get the IT right

Julian Goldsmith
How Zavvi lost its Virginity
IT director Tony Johnson on the retailer's changing web strategy

Agenda Setters 2009
Welcome to the ninth annual Agenda Setters poll – silicon.com's list of the top 50 most influential individuals in the technology and IT industries, from techies and CIOs to entrepreneurs and business leaders. Find out more in our latest special report.


IT services
Outsourcing, offshoring and much more...



Quick Sitemap Links: