How to Store Credit Card Information Safely

Using a credit card online can be dangerous if the right security precautions aren’t taken. Fortunately, as the popularity of eCommerce continues to grow the security precautions taken by online merchants and payment processors become more stringent. However, aside from the online precautions many people forget to take the necessary measures to protect their credit card details in the real world.

The following tips could prevent thousands of dollars in credit card fraud and possibly even identity theft.

Securing the Computer

Anyone that conducts business regularly online probably has information on their computer that could be used detrimentally by cyber criminals. Information such as bank account numbers, credit card numbers, login credentials, names, addresses, signatures, phone numbers, dates of birth, and even sensitive family pictures could be stolen easily if an intruder were to gain access to a personal or business computer. Thus, it is very important to have a powerful firewall and antivirus suite installed in order to keep hackers away from such information.

Most eCommerce websites take the necessary precautions to make sure all data transferred between the customer’s computer and the payment processor is secure, however this doesn’t protect the customer’s computer from cyber spies and criminals that could gain access to the hard drive through other sites. The first line of defense when securing credit card data is the internal security of the computer itself.

Disposing of Sensitive Documents

Physical documents are just as vulnerable as digital data, especially for business owners that frequently print papers containing sensitive information. Most people realize that businesses have paper shredders, but fail to see the need for one at home. Anyone that prints disposable items that contain sensitive data should have a way to permanently dispose of that data when needed. During home robberies many burglars scour the house for data that can be used to commit credit card fraud or identity fraud. Thus, it is advisable to use a paper shredder to thoroughly dispose of any sensitive information immediately after it is used. A good paper shredder can be found for about $20-$30 at any office store, so there is no logical reason not to have one. If a paper shredder is not around then a regular pair of scissors will suffice.

Safely Storing Documents

Understandably, some documents cannot be disposed of immediately as they are needed for future use.  Thus, it is best to have a locked filing cabinet and/or a safe that can be used to store documents and checkbooks safely. Be sure to keep the key well hidden  and never let anyone know the combination of  a safe. Safes and filing cabinets can easily be stolen if they are not secured, so it is best to buy the kind that can be bolted into the floor for maximum security. By taking the above precautions it is possible to completely eliminate any possibility of identity theft or credit card fraud.