Can A Cashier Make A Consumer Read His 3-Digit Credit Card Code In Front Of Other Shoppers?

The utilization of Credit cards has gotten practically omnipresent. Consumers use credit cards at administration stations and general stores, make online purchases, and affirm the data by telephone. Most of the consumers know about referencing or mentioning the 16 digits of their card, however, numerous sellers nowadays demand another number, the three-digit code on the back of your card. 

So, What is the 3-Digit Credit Card Code all about?

A credit card has a 16-digit number on the front, in addition to an expiration date, and another three-digit code on the back. We as a whole know in an unclear manner that the code on the back (otherwise called the "CVC" or "CVV") has something to do with making exchanges more secure or decreasing extortion, yet other than that we don't really think about it - and keeping in mind that we may hope to need to share that number when shopping online, we absolutely don't anticipate being approached to read it for all to hear when making an in-person purchase at a packed coffeehouse. 

Furthermore, there's an explanation you ought to be worried about being approached to peruse this number so anyone might hear out in the open - because it shouldn't occur.

The purpose of the 3-Digit Credit Card Code is to protect consumers from fraud. But, unfortunately, some sellers are using this against consumers. Though asking for the code is a fraud policy, some consumers unaware of this fact fall into the trap. They share the code with the sellers after which they can use your card to make payments without your permission. Criminals and hackers regularly follow security advancements intimately with new strategies to execute fraud. For this situation, it is conceivable that consumers might be misled by sharing their code when these criminals reach them by acting like organization delegates. Your organization definitely knows your record number, so on the off chance that they call you genuinely, they won't request your record data. Report suspected fraud when this happens.

The cards that store data on the magnetic stripe, which is found on the reverse side of the card are easy for fraudulent to copy, while swiping the card. EMV cards are the saviour here. EMV cards store data on a microprocessor chip embedded in it. These are more secure as they store data on chips rather than magnetic stripes. 

When making purchases, the terminal needs to verify that it's actually the owner using the card. A unique, encrypted code(known as Cryptogram or token) is created for this verification. This number is created from information in the chip along with information in the terminal. This number can be used on that specific time only, and a different number is generated on every transaction. So, if anybody copies this number then it's not an issue to worry about as it is not usable anymore. 

Various mobile payments applications available, can also be used to make the payment.

As secure payment technology continues to improve, and any method cannot be considered fully secure to rely on. Hence, it's one's own responsibility to be aware of such fraudulent activities. Being aware of your card account activities is also important. If you believe that your card account shows fraudulent activity or that you have become a victim of identity theft, be sure to contact your credit card issuer immediately.

                     By - Sakshi and Vipasha