Credit Card chips to be introduced
The Vancouver Sun ran a story today about the introduction of credit card chips. Here is a quick summary of how it will change the way we do business at the cashier's till.
"Canada's financial institutions have started to switch from the traditional "swipeable" card with a magnetic strip to a new card design incorporating a tiny computer chip. Customers are being asked to insert their card into a point-of-sale reader and typing in a code, instead of giving the card to a cashier to be swiped and then signing a receipt.
The change is intended to reduce the $300 million incurred annually in debit- and credit-card fraud in Canada. Card issuers have started offering the chip cards to customers across the country, with the expectation the cards will be in wide use by the end of 2010."
Source: Vancouver Sun
Is your small business really secure?
A sobering thought from Canadian Business Magazine, about why small business are especiialy vulnerable to cyber attacks. Here is a quote from the article:
"Increasingly, that’s exactly what they are. Bruce Cowper, chief security advisor at Mississauga, Ont.-based Microsoft Canada, says automated hacking tools have made it more profitable to attack smaller companies. A hacker doesn’t care that he’s never heard of your firm; only that his automated probes have revealed that your network is vulnerable. “Attackers are always going to take the path of least resistance,” says Rohyt Belani, managing partner of Intrepidus Group Inc., a New York-based information-security consultancy. “They know the security budgets for SMEs are limited compared to larger organizations.”
Source: Canadian Business Magazine
Travel Scams
According to an article from the Canada.com travel scams cost $12 billion annually. Those include pickpocketing, and include "free trip" shams, among other pre-destination ripoffs.
Here are a few tips from the article to reduce your risk while travelling:
"- Money: Don't wear those silly waist pouches, says Gillick. You might as well write TOURIST across your forehead. His advice is to wear a money belt that fits underneath your clothing. Better yet, he advises planning your daily budget. If you want to take out $200 a day, split the money up in small increments and put it in different pockets and leave the rest in the hotel safe.
- Passports: If you're in a country where you need to have your passport with you at all times, make a photocopy of it and carry that with you. Leave the original in the hotel safe.
- Make a scene: If you've been robbed or think you're about to be, and you're in a busy area (see the reference to the "Cardboard Children of Rome" on the www.CITI.ca website), yell, wave your arms, or act as if you're going to take a photograph of the would-be thieves, which Gillick did with success. There's no guarantee you'll get your stolen item back. It all depends on whether the country you're in has a good tourist police service, Gillick adds.
- Taxis: Make sure you've done your research about the route and the approximate cost of the trip to avoid frustration and paying way too much for the fare.
- Foreign currency: Same goes. Do your research, perhaps buying some before you leave, just to familiarize yourself with handling the money."
Source: Canada.com
Be on the look-out for warranty scam
In Ontario, Niagara Regional Police are warning the public to be wary of a potential vehicle warranty scam.
Police said a company called Canadian Auto Warranty Services has sent postcards to regional residents advising them to call and extend their vehicle warranties.
Similar scams have been reported in Toronto and in the United States.
The postcards list proper names and addresses, a customer identification number and a 1-800 telephone number.
Police advise the public to ignore the postcards and protect their personal information.
Source: St. Catherines Standard
Source: Canadian Press