Looking for POS system hacks article

I recently read an article regarding POS vulnerability. The most recent form of identity theft is to hack into a POS system. Thieves have discovered that some systems retain credit card information where swiped transactions occur. These systems are also weak to intrusion. I believe I read this in The Green Sheet. However, I cannot locate the article. Can you help? Thanks, Bill Lally

Bill,

Perhaps the article you have in mind is "Visa alerts restaurants to lax POS installation" (The Green Sheet, Aug. 14, 2006, issue 06:08:01). It includes a list of merchant questions POS resellers should be prepared to answer. You'll find the article online at www.greensheet.com/PriorIssues-/060801-/4.htm

Editor

Getting started ... but where to begin?

I'm taking my first steps in the financial services field from the perspective of a provider and not a client or customer. ... One of my objectives is to set up a program that permits my friend and client's company (traded on NASDAQ) to process credit card transactions as an acquirer. Can you help point me in the right direction and provide some reference literature and contact sources?

Best Regards,
Marc Warsowe
Natural Business Consulting Group

Marc,

As a trade publication for the acquiring industry, The Green Sheet does not recommend specific companies. However, our Web site, www.greensheet.com/onlineindex.html, is a wonderful source of information for someone trying to learn more about the industry.

The Green Sheet has been around since 1983, and we have all our issues archived online back to 1995. You can access the entire archive with our search tool, Fast Finder (www.greensheet.com/search.cgi). Pick up any issue of The Green Sheet or GSQ, and you will find it is replete with information about the industry. But you are probably looking for a place to begin, such as "credit card 101." Therefore, I suggest the following to get started:

Our September 2005 GSQ, "Train your brain," (Vol. 8, No.3) is online at www.greensheet.com/gsq/Secured-/gsqv8n3.pdf

Also, check out our Industry FAQs at www.greensheet.com/mlsportal/industryfaq.html The Electronic Transactions Assoc-iation ( www.electran.org) has a wonderful glossary of terms available for purchase: Encyclopedia of Terminology for the Acquiring Industry.

Finally, the upcoming Western States Acquirers' Association conference will take place Oct. 18 - 19, 2006, in San Jose, Calif. This event (or any trade association conference, regional or national, for that matter) would be a great place to learn more about the industry and network with payment professionals. This is the last major industry meeting of the year. The WSAA's Web site is www.westernstatesacquirers.com You can also learn more about all the industry trade associations in our cover story in this issue.

Good luck to you and your partner, Editor