TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- Starting today, businesses and financial institutions are expected to use technology that will read new credit cards with special chips - an industry-led move designed to prevent fraud activity.
Kathryn Bradley-Wilson says she's always looking out for her customers. As co-owner of The Grey Fox boutique in Tallahassee, she's had the new credit card readers for six months.
The machines read the new cards with unique chips that make it more difficult to steal information from the customer or the business. For a small business owner like herself, Bradley-Wilson has dealt with a situation like that before.
"We were alerted to the people, so we knew, but it could've been really bad," she said. "It was a large purchase."
Customers either swipe their card as usual or insert part of it in the front to read the chip.
Bradley-Wilson says the store's provider for the machine admits the technology is not fully up to date. That's a common issue at several businesses, according to First Commerce Credit Union.
"Card production agencies are running behind with the production of the new cards, so not all financial institutions do have that chip card readily available yet," said ATM specialist Christie Varriale.
And while there's a push to get these new cards and readers in use, not everyone has them yet. The credit union says businesses will still accept cards without the chips.
"There's no need to panic," Varriale said. "They can still use that card. The card is just as good as it was yesterday."
Varriale says the technology is in a roll-out phase that could take up to two or three years to be completely installed.
