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PCI Compliance is something that most merchants are familiar with these days. Each year, merchants are required to prove that they are handling credit card data properly, that their systems are secure and that the processes they have in place protect the card data. It all sounds good right? Protect card holder information, make sure everything is safe and secure…….but what happens when things go wrong? We have been fortunate at Total Merchant Concepts in that we have never had a merchant sustain a breach however, in the past two weeks we have been referred to two separate merchants who have been told by their processing companies that their Point of Sale system had been hacked. One merchant is looking at nearly $50,000.00 in fines in addition to

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Mommies, Moms, Mothers, Mamas & Grandmas out there! Every day is special when you are a Mom but TODAY is the one day per year set aside to really honor Mom- for all of the many things she does! Here are some fun facts about Mother’s Day- This year, the average person will be spend $126.90 on gifts, flowers & meals for their Mom Americans buy 140 million cards for Mother’s Day There are about 83 million Mothers in the United States Mother’s Day is the 2nd biggest gift giving holiday in America People will spend 1.9 billion dollars on flowers for Mother’s Day The most popular type of flowers are mixed bouquets, carnations, daffodils, roses & tulips The total spending

Last week, Sony announced it may have lost up to 77 million people’s personal information, including their debit and credit cards. Confidentiality and information integrity is always important but here are some timely tips: What to do if you think your credit or debit card is stolen (Information provided from the State Department of Financial Institutions) Consumers have strong protection if unauthorized charges are made on their credit cards. Typically in the U.S., cardholders are protected from unauthorized transactions on their credit card accounts. Call the issuing bank or credit union right away. Act fast – the sooner you report the loss, the more likely you will limit your liability if someone uses your card without your permission. Once reported, you are not liable for any further charges

Good Monday Morning! Sir Smiley here with a quick thought for the day: Genuine beginnings begin with us, even when they are brought to our attention by external circumstances or opportunities! ~William Bridges TMC will be posting some great information this week on rates and fees- a continuing education of sorts! Until then, enjoy your new beginnings as we launch into this fresh new week of spring! Sir Smiley- OUT Sir SmileyMonday, April 18, 2011

In our first online poll, we asked how you handled the signature panel on the back of your credit cards and the results are in: SIGN YOUR CARD (they said to sign it) 30%? WRITE CID (I’m not giving the crooks my signature!) 40% SIGN & WRITE CID (It was a tight fit- but I made it) 17% LEAVE IT BLANK (Nobody checks it anyway) 13% So what is the ‘RIGHT’ answer? Technically speaking, Option #1 is the correct answer- let’s look at all 4 options: Cheri PerrySaturday, April 9, 2011

We process credit cards here at TMC and we are thankful when you choose to use your cards (it keeps us employed!). But we wanted to take a moment to encourage the proper use of those credit cards so that your financial future can be bright! Check out the article Smart Ways To Use Credit for some excellent tips on the wise use of credit cards! It is our pleasure to provide these valuable tips; if you have any other questions please feel free to give us a call! 1-888-249-9919 Sir Smiley- OUT SIr SmileySunday, March 27, 2011