Information that is stored online must be viewed by website business owners as vulnerable unless steps have been taken to secure the information form theft. If thieves were able to get into your online credit card processing software you’d have a nightmare on your hands. If steps have not been taken to protect your customer’s information it is vulnerable and just because no one has yet attempted to steal it (that you know of) the information is still vulnerable none the less. There are some very practical steps that can be taken to make online theft of valuable information more difficult.

Let’s consider the following:

1. Who is stealing the information?
2. How are they stealing it?
3. Why are they stealing it?
4. What are they doing with it once they have it?

Who is stealing valuable information from individuals and websites whether online or off? Thieves! They don’t fit any particular profile and can be just the average man or woman you meet on the street. But they have one character flaw in common; they are thieves! A thief from New York stole information from online merchant accounts and charged up over $10,000 before he was apprehended.

How are they stealing valuable personal and business information? They are stealing it in a number of ways; from discarded trash, bank statements, credit card receipts, personal and business documents and a whole host of other sources. An employee for a large online credit card processing firm stole customer information and went on a spending spree till she was caught.

Why are they stealing valuable personal and business information? They steal the information in an attempt to profit financially with the information. Sometimes they directly use the information and sometimes they sell the information to others who will directly use it to illegally profit. Processing consumer credit cards from stolen account numbers is a favorite among personal identity thieves. If thieves get a hold of your online merchant accounts they can empty them before anyone is the wiser.

What are they doing with the information once they have it? Once they have the information they are using it to get jobs, rent hotel rooms, rental cars, take vacations and obtain cash money.

Let’s consider steps that can be taken to stop the theft:

1. Know your employees
2. Shred personal or business documents
3. Purchase security systems for your business
4. Protect your digital information
5. Limit access to information

Knowing your employees can go a long way toward protecting your business information. Companies regularly have access to the personal and professional information of clients. Employees have been convicted for accessing and using this information for their own personal gain. Usually this kind of crime is not a crime of opportunity the individual involved usually has a past history of theft and deception. If you have online merchant accounts and credit card processing make certain to know who is going to have access to this information.

Shred all personal and business documents before discarding them. Even if you may think the information is unimportant shred it anyway. Get into the habit of shredding all documents before trashing. Many thieves rummage through dumpsters and trash cans looking precisely for these kinds of documents. If you’re in the habit of writing down account numbers for online credit card processing shred those notes before discarding. Don’t give thieves what they need to steal from your business.

Purchase and install a security system for your home and business. You can’t be everywhere all the time. And thieves know this. Don’t give them a free reign to your business after hours or during hours when you are not around. The eye in the sky can prevent the urge of a would-be theft if they detect surveillance is on them.

Protecting your digital information is very important to keep it out of the hands of thieves. Don’t give out your social security or credit card number to just anybody especially people on the internet that you don’t know. Verify that who you are doing business with is actually the company or individual they claim to be.

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Periodically change passwords
2. Install virus and security software
3. Limit access to your hard-drive
4. Install effective firewalls

If you transact business with online merchant accounts make certain that passwords are changed regularly to safeguard against unauthorized access. A disgruntled employee in Minnesota accessed a credit card processing service and stole over $25,000 before anyone was aware of what was going on.


Make an extra investment to protect your business operating system. An ex-employee that worked for a website hacked into the site and set loose a virus into their online merchant accounts that disrupted operations for over a week and cost $7,500 to restore.

Limit access to your hard-drive and if any problems begin to surface you will have only a hand full of individuals to narrow your search for the culprit. An angry manager can damage your online credit card processing system before you are aware a problem even exists.

Prevent outsiders from hacking into your systems by installing effective firewall software to keep unauthorized users from gaining access to your systems and operations. Most online merchant accounts and credit card processing services have adequate firewalls in place but being certain your business is protected is a good idea.
If you think your online company is the victim of hacking or your customer’s information has been compromised contact the fraud division of your online merchant accounts provider and credit card processing service to make a detailed report of the irregularities. Also contact banks and other credit institutions and request your accounts be flagged until the problems has been investigated and resolved.

Make certain you document any actions taken by your company and its employees including the agencies you contacted, the people you spoke with and the outcome of the communications.

Identity and information theft is a real problem and as an online merchant accounts manager you need to take the necessary steps to protect the investments made in your company. Even if you are an employee and not an owner of an online company you should take responsibility for the safeguarding of customer information that has been entrusted to you.