By Mike Neagle, Argo Networks

Data breaches at Target and other retailers had a devastating effect on salons with credit card EFT memberships. As customers received new cards due to the breach, rejection rates soared at salons across the country as the customers’ old numbers were declined. Many salon saw sharp revenue decreases as a result of lost accounts that were never renewed.

While most of the after effects of that specific breach have passed, there are lots more changes coming. Nearly 50 percent of credit card fraud happens in the United States, while processing only 24 percent of the world’s transactions.

To reduce this, banks are introducing new credit cards with embedded chips called EMV cards. While they will continue to have the familiar magnetic stripes for a while, these cards will also contain a chip that makes it harder to counterfeit (magnetic stripes are very easy to copy). The chips are designed to send different data every time a card is authorized, making it very difficult to clone them.

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