We notice you are visiting from a U.S. Internet provider. 
08/02/2010 -
Although there are many negative consequences that come in the aftermath of a payment processing breach, not all of them are related to fines and lawsuits - many merchants underestimate the damage that breaches can cause to their business' reputation and client base.Bob Russo, general manager of the PCI Security Standards Council, told CNET News in an interview Monday that consumers are extremely frightened of identity theft, and having their credit card information stolen triggers that fear and can cause them to stop doing business with the organisation that exposed their information.
This is because 90 percent of consumers do not understand the difference between credit card fraud and identity theft, Russo said. That kind of reputational damage is "the worst thing that can happen," and can cause untold financial damage.
To prevent this from happening, organisations should take care to ensure that they are always PCI compliant, he advised.
"It's very expensive to suffer a breach," Russo told CNET. "It's much better to be compliant and secure and not have to worry about this."
Russo typically advises merchants to stay compliant with the PCI-DSS but to also go beyond that document by implementing a layered approach to payment processing security.
