Web Site Owners, If Selling Online, You MUST Be PCI Compliant

If you’re an online marketer and accept credit cards, should you care about PCI DSS?YES.  You’re responsible for fulfilling the requirements, EVEN if you’re a small business that processes few transactions.  Penalties can be huge if you’re not in compliance.The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of requirements created to ensure that ALL companies that process, store or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment.Regardless of the number of transactions you do, or your company size, if any customer ever pays you directly using a credit  or debit card, whether by phone or online, the PCI DSS requirements apply.WHAT DO YOU DO?Check with your merchant account provider, if they’ve not already contacted you.  You’ll need to fill out a  Self-Assessment Questionnaire. After completing the form, they’ll advise you whether you need to take security scans of your computer system or not.If you do not store your customer’s information, be sure to confirm this in the Privacy Policy/terms and conditions statement on your web site.