MISSISSIPPI’S RETRIEVER SERVICES LEADS THE NATION

Jackson, Miss – Mississippi’s Retriever Credit Card Services is the first payment processor in the nation to assist, validate and honor merchants for PCI Compliance. This week, Sept. 17, they will recognize Ridgeland’s Soul Shine Pizza and next week, Sept. 25, Jackson’s Pop Fizz Kids. Both events will be held on site and are open to the public as Retriever presents them with a Certificate of PCI-DSS Compliance.

In this time of identity theft and noncompliance, it is critical for consumers to know where they conduct business is a safe and secure place. It is also important for business to understand the steps they must take on a daily basis to stay compliant.

“We want to recognize our customers when they go the extra mile to insure compliance,” said Cliff Torrence, chief executive officer of Retriever. “With identity theft on the rise, consumers deserve to know when a merchant is or is not PCI compliant. Our company is backed by NPC, and this certification program is being watched from around the country to see how merchants and consumers react.”

Retriever has been in business over 10 years serving thousands of companies across the U.S. This certificate has never been given in Mississippi until Retriever began honoring its customers.

Torrence added that PCI-DSS Compliance is a hot-button issue. Security breaches can lead to stolen credit card numbers and identity theft. Merchants are responsible for protecting customers’ credit card data and can be fined for non-compliance. While certification is required with banks and processors, Retriever is the first payment processor to certify compliance at the merchant level. Certification assures consumers that merchants have gone the extra mile to protect their credit card data.

“Fines for non-compliance can be in the tens of thousands per incidence,” said Torrence. “Many security breaches involve thousands of incidences. Numbers like that can put a small business under. This is why it’s so important to maintain compliance.”

Merchants may also lose the ability to accept credit cards if they do not comply. With nearly 75% of all transactions in the U.S. made electronically last year, being able to accept credit cards, electronic checks or drafts is critical.