Dynamic Accident Lawyers: How Many Credit Card Numbers May Appear on Receipts?

facta Many American consumers throw away receipts without knowing the important, personal information that could be contained on those seemingly “worthless” receipts.

If a consumer pays with a credit or debit card when completing a transaction, there exists the possibility that the sales receipt features personal identification information that may put them at risk of identity theft and credit card fraud.

Although merchants are required to follow strict federal laws regarding what information can appear on transaction receipts using credit and debit cards, some suspect that various stores and companies have not been following protocol outlined by the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA).

In fact, it has been alleged that some merchants have included all or some of consumers’ credit card expiration date numbers and more than the last five digits of consumers’ credit card numbers on printed receipts.

What is FACTA?

FACTA is a set of federal laws passed by the United States Congress in 2003 as part of a larger effort to tackle the modern problem of identity theft. This federal act states:

“No person that accepts credit cards or debit cards for the transaction of business shall print more than the last 5 digits of the card number or the expiration date upon any receipt provided to the cardholder at the point of the sale or transaction.”

One of the major statutes enacted by FACTA is the rule that a merchant may not print more than the last five digits of a consumer’s credit card number when issuing a sales receipt.

The other numbers of the consumer’s credit or debit card number must be masked or hidden by using other symbols; most commonly, merchants use * or # to take the place of the other digits preceding the last five.

Another mandate by this law is that no where on the card may the credit or debit cards expiration date appear on the debit or credit card receipt.

Has a Merchant Violated FACTA?

There are several ways in which a store or merchant can commit FACTA violations and expose their consumers to possible identity theft. For example, when it comes to expiration dates, FACTA is very clear that the expiration date cannot appear anywhere on an electronically printed receipt in any format.

So if you paid for a transaction using a credit card that expires in March 2017, some ways in which this information may appear on your receipt and violate FACTA include:

EXP: 03/17
EXP: 03/2017
EXP: 032017
Exp Date: 03/17
Exp. Date 03/**
EXP. **/17

These are just a few examples of an credit or debit card’s expiration date may appear on receipts, though there are other formats.

As for how many credit card numbers can legally appear on a receipt without violating FACTA, the answer is very clear: only the last five digits of a credit card number may appear on a receipt. Even if a merchant shows less than five digits on an electronically printed sales receipt, they may still be in violation of FACTA if those are not part of the last five.

Below are some examples of how a printed sales receipt violates FACTA laws concerning credit card numbers:

Example 1: 11** **** **** 4444
Example 2: **** **22 **** 4444
Example 3: **** **** **33 ****

Consumers have rights under FACTA statutes. If you or someone you know believes your personal information was compromised because a merchant did not follow FACTA statutes, you may be eligible to take part in a FACTA class action lawsuit investigation.

Free FACTA Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you made one or more purchases and the retailer provided you with a receipt that contained more than the last five digits of your credit or debit card number or the expiration date, you may be eligible for a free class action lawsuit investigation and to pursue compensation for these FACTA violations.

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