Dining Out and Credit Card Theft

According to surveys, the restaurant is the most likely place to lose a credit card. One of the major credit card companies determined that forty percent and that’s right 40% of credit card theft happens to dining locations more than any type of establishments. This is because people are pre-occupied with eating and talking. It gives thieves a chance not only to steal their belongings but their credit card receipt as well.

We cannot say that waiters and gourmet chefs are to blame because they can easily copy your personal information, although it is possible. It is important to consider the technology available as well as the most convenient way to steal is through it. The theft happens when a particular hacker goes right into the system of the restaurant and downloads the information about the credit card.

It is not really known why restaurants are the most targeted place for credit card theft, but the theory is that it goes around the weakness of the security of the place. What actually happens during the hacking is that when the credit card is swiped for payment, the data is retrieved by unscrupulous individuals. All of the necessary data including the account number, verification code and the expiration date are given out.

After knowing the cause of the problem, credit card companies will impose fines on the restaurants if they are proven to carelessly store data in their stores. Improper storing of data will be the ground for imposing fines that can amount to $10,000 per month. Credit cards are considered as one of the factors that makes establishments ‘survive.’ The advice would be to check your account regularly so that you can report the theft in the shortest possible time. If it‘s possible, pay cash for the meals that you eat.

About the Author:

Author and entrepreneur Bernz Jayma P. is the owner of an identity theft blog, Learn up -to-date information on how you can stop and prevent identity theft by visiting http://www.IdentityTheftProtection.org.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Dining Out and Credit Card Theft

identity theft, identity theft protection, lifelock, trusted id, identity protection, credit protection