Ralph Liebetrau had his store Decori on the Plaza convert his credit card machine to a chip reader last fall.
"It's gone real well. I think people are feeling more confident about their cards since the extra security was added to it," Liebetrau said.
The chip cards provide that added security by creating a new number identity at each point of sale purchase. But according to a new report from USA Today, Decori is the exception, with less than 40 percent of stores currently using the chip readers. The rest of them are using the less secure magnetic strip swipe.
Kyle McKenzie has a chip credit card she uses, but not the way it was intended,
"Mostly the swipes, there are a couple of places that use the readers," she said.
Raeanne Presley says she has several chip credit cards and uses them on a daily basis. While she too says most stores where she shops don't use the chip readers, she knows shopping on the Internet is the same as using a magnetic card reader which captures the credit card number.
"I have one credit card I use online and at different times I've had the numbers stolen and had to change our card," she said.
There's also risk for merchants. They can be held responsible for fraudulent purchases if they don't have chip readers.
It's why Liebetrau purchased a chip reader for Decori as soon as he could get one and believes other merchants should do the same.
"I would just for your own personal safety so you're not responsible if something does happen," he said.
To keep your credit card information from falling into the wrong hands, it's recommended to monitor your transactions daily. If you shop online, use sites beginning with https. That "s" stands for secure.
You can also ask your bank to give you a virtual credit card number which lets you shop online without revealing your actual card number to the merchant.
------
Andy Alcock can be reached at anderson.alcock@kshb.com.
