As technological advancements continue to make the restaurant world a more convenient space to enjoy, they’re also making it safer by helping to reduce increasingly advanced fraudulent attacks. Contactless payment transactions have gone through the roof since the onset of COVID-19, and hackers are seeking improved ways to target point of sale software systems. It’s absolutely essential that restaurant owners, managers, and staff understand their POS system, its functionality, and its vulnerabilities to ensure everyone who is using it within the business is aware of the best fraud-prevention practices. Our team at Adora is sharing our top compliance and security reminders, along with preventative measures, to keep your business and your guests safe and sound.

An ounce of prevention: keep point of sale software and equipment safe

Many hackers attempt to steal payment card information by compromising the actual point of sale software, hardware, and equipment. This includes tampering in the form of planting PIN-reading bugs or installing mini cameras and recording devices to steal the information they’re looking for. We recommend a twice daily inspection routine to ensure all POS hardware has not been tampered with. Next, it’s essential that the system and the credit card terminal’s firmware are properly encrypted to keep debit and credit card numbers safe when guests use a smartphone or any other contactless payment method. Also, keeping up with security patches is a must when safeguarding against fraudulent POS attacks.

Verification & compliance frameworks: fraud protection guides

Fortunately, when we prepare for any attack upon our valued point of sale software, there are protective systems and guidelines we can easily access to ensure we’re following the most up-to-date and effective steps to protect our businesses. Some general solutions offered within the most cutting-edge systems today include advanced account verification systems, duplicate card checks, last four-digit entry systems, and key functions that protect the user’s password. Using these resources, restaurant staff can verify a cardholder’s identity at the point of sale by entering in unique cardholder data, such as the guest’s address, verification code, or last four digits. In addition, business owners can turn to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) for an effective point of sale software framework along with best practice guidelines. Among its many benefits is the ability to safeguard the guest’s data from being decrypted.

Protecting the restaurant’s POS area: a defensive move

The best point of sale software providers recommend protecting the system, its users, and its guests with some strategic and defensive planning. This includes housing the equipment with the most secure stand, tether, and security cables, as well as installing security cameras that not only deter fraudulent behavior, but also capture any invasive attempts. In addition, by ensuring the system, and its backend operations, are within the latest and most advanced technologies out there, businesses can rest assured that their own – and their guests’ – information is safe and secure.

Training: teaching staff to safeguard against POS fraud

While awareness of fraud prevention is essential to the business owner and manager, it must also trickle down to all employees using the point of sale software system. They’re often the people who will be responsible for validating the equipment and service, as well as for reaching out to technicians when repairs are necessary. They’ll also typically oversee, accept, or reject, any chargebacks on the POS system, and they will likely implement any lockdown strategies should they be necessary in preventing the processing of fraudulent transactions. These valued team members deserve an intuitive software that’s easy to learn and that keeps up with the fast-paced tempo of the restaurant industry, including all of today’s unique demands.

The Adora difference

Adora’s POS system is designed to minimize clicks and streamline every process for the successful operation of our restaurant-owning clients, their staff, and their valued guests. Providing impeccable customer service is essential to your business and its success. We’re proud to provide our customers with the advantages of the latest technology, along with our passion for customer service in the hospitality industry. We’ve been there, we care, and within everything we do is a vision of the future. Contact us for more details.