Apacs, the UK payments association, has issued new guidance to retailers on how to protect their Chip and PIN terminals from fraud.

The advice comes just weeks after it was revealed that cases of facility take-over fraud (where a criminal gang gains access to an account via the interception of credit cards or the internet) have soared by 159% in the year to date.

The guidance places a particular emphasis on staff training. It recommends staff should be made aware of all the ways in which criminals can target card data, and this training should be carried out annually or more regularly where staff turnover is high.

Checks on equipment should also be carried out monthly and by more than one employee, while access to sensitive data such as CCTV footage of till points should be restricted to senior personnel only.

"When employees leave it is also vital that their security-related entitlements are revoked and all keys are returned," it added.