Monster.com has appeared in the news over the past few weeks due to a security breach that compromised 1.3 million of their consumers. USAJobs.com is another website powered by Monster Worldwide and had about 150,000 users compromised as well. This incident can serve as a learning experience for other businesses and potential victims.

All of us have heard about the dangers of using credit cards on the internet. Many of us probably even know a friend, co-worker or family member who has been a victim of credit card fraud or identity theft.  What most people don't know is that using a credit card at a restaurant is far more dangerous than making a purchase online.

According to statistics and industry experts the internet is actually a safer place to use a credit card than at a restaurant or bar. Data recorded by Visa since January 2005, states that restaurants made up over 40% of incidents in which criminals gained unauthorized access to credit card information.  This represents the largest percentage of incidents for any single merchant category. In addition, Ambiron Trustwave, a Chicago-based security company that conducts security audits for merchants, reported that 62% of the security violations it encountered during an18 month period of time occurred in restaurants.

So what makes the restaurant industry so vulnerable?  First, it is one of the last remaining settings where you give your card to an individual who actually leaves your site to process the payment. What happens from the moment a credit card leaves your hand and the moment it's returned can be very unnerving.

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