How secure is it to fill in my credit card info on forms given by suppliers?

[Xeon]

I'm looking at a few fulfillment centers in the US and I'm required to put in a fixed amount of money (pre-paid shipping account).

They require me to fill in a form where I need to enter my complete credit card credentials. Is this a common thing in the US? Have you guys run into issues with this where you wake up next morning to find all your money (which is tied to the credit card and life savings all gone), due to some rogue employee?

I realized this "write-your-credit-card-info-onto-paper-which-can-be-seen-by-everyone" seems very common in the US especially for mom-and-pop, family businesses type of company.
Strangely, a lot of these companies don't accept Paypal though.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[amp0193]

I'm looking at a few fulfillment centers in the US and I'm required to put in a fixed amount of money (pre-paid shipping account).

They require me to fill in a form where I need to enter my complete credit card credentials. Is this a common thing in the US? Have you guys run into issues with this where you wake up next morning to find all your money (which is tied to the credit card and life savings all gone), due to some rogue employee?

I realized this "write-your-credit-card-info-onto-paper-which-can-be-seen-by-everyone" seems very common in the US especially for mom-and-pop, family businesses type of company.
Strangely, a lot of these companies don't accept Paypal though.

The practice is a lot more common than I wish it was.

When I was doing b2b, my customers really appreciated that I had an online payment system that was secure (I never saw their CC info). Some of the store owners said they had to get a new credit card every month due to their cards being compromised.

I'd much prefer to give someone my CC over the phone, vs. emailing a form. Even better if they have electronic invoicing through Quickbooks or whatever else. Email is too easy to hack. Even if I've got great security, passwords, etc. on my email, it doesn't mean the person on the other end does.

Just express your concerns over security, and I'm sure they could do it over the phone for you.

 

[ApparentHorizon]

It was prevalent with the older generation. You would give your details over the phone to order those gimmicky infomercial products. You'd do it to order factory deals. And so forth.

The US CC companies have multiple protection mechanisms. Like checking your regular shopping habits, location, and more. Then you can freeze your card and open disputes over transactions, with the possibility of getting them reversed.

Would I worry about an employee taking the CC info and running off? Nah. At most petty thieves spend less than $100 before the card triggers a red flag.

Would I worry about hackers? Yup. These companies are so far behind it could be written into a Shakespearean tragedy.

Questions to ask:

• Do they have SSL on their site?
• Do they store the CC info on their own servers? - What database & encryption do they use? Or does a CC processor take care of it?
• How susceptible are they to social engineering? If you called them right now, would their IT dept just tell you all of the above? (Just knowing what db and encryption type can help a hacker get in faster)
• Do they print this info off and hold it in a physical folder?
• Who handles the info? A controller behind a locked door or the front desk assistant?

 

[Kid]

Can you use separate bank account with debit card?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Xeon]

Some of the store owners said they had to get a new credit card every month due to their cards being compromised.

I'd much prefer to give someone my CC over the phone, vs. emailing a form. Even better if they have electronic invoicing through Quickbooks or whatever else. Email is too easy to hack. Even if I've got great security, passwords, etc. on my email, it doesn't mean the person on the other end does.

Just express your concerns over security, and I'm sure they could do it over the phone for you.

Thanks, I'll check if they accept online payments or wire transfer. Tbh, I don't feel safe even with phones, because the other person will still be writing down your credit card info number by number, which is worse lol

It was prevalent with the older generation

Which is why I was kinda surprised many companies are still doing this nowadays lol. 2018 people. Those are good questions to ask, thanks.

Can you use separate bank account with debit card?

This is what I'm thinking if they don't accept wire transfer/paypal.
I've another card for my business transactions but orders would come through this card, which means I need to constantly transfer the money out and limit the amt of money inside.