FACTA Class Action May Lead to Consumer Compensation

No doubt, you and many other consumers have made retail purchases using a credit or debit card. But did you know that if a retailer prints more than the last 5 digits of your debit or credit card number on your receipt that they are in violation of federal law? Retailers have also violated your consumer rights if they printed your card’s expiration date on the debit or credit card receipt. Even if you were not harmed as a result of this information being printed, you still may be eligible to file a FACTA lawsuit.

What is FACTA and What Counts as a FACTA Violation?

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (or FACTA) is set of federal statutes passed by Congress in 2003 with the intent of cutting down on the ever-growing trend of identity theft. FACTA specifically mandates that merchants and retailers follow certain criteria in order to join in the government’s efforts to protect consumers’ personal information and prevent credit card fraud and identity theft. FACTA applies to all forms of electronically printed customer receipts that are printed during a sales transaction by a cash register, self-service kiosk, or by other means.

According to reports, identity thieves are able to piece together an individual’s debit or credit card information from a consumer’s receipt if certain information is provided. In light of this, FACTA rules restrict the amount of consumer information that can be shown on a credit or debit card receipt. One way to accomplish this is by masking or hiding numbers except for the last five digits of a debit or credit card by substituting numbers with symbols (like # or *) on the debit or credit card receipts.

Even if fewer than five digits of a consumer’s debit or credit card number are printed on the receipt, a merchant may still be in violation of FACTA if those numbers are not the last five digits. For example, if a credit card receipt shows  **** **** **33 ****, then the retailer has committed a FACTA violation. Additionally, a credit or debit card’s expiration date cannot be printed anywhere on a consumer’s receipt in any form.

FACTA Class Action Lawsuits and Settlements

In the past, several consumers have joined together to file FACTA class action lawsuits against companies that have allegedly violated FACTA rules by printing excessive amounts of consumer information on credit or debit card receipts. FACTA litigation can result in compensation for consumers whose rights were violated.

Back in November 2013, Southwest Airlines Co. agreed to a FACTA class action settlement in order to settle claims that the major airline had committed FACTA violations by allegedly printing consumer’s debit or credit card expiration dates on their receipts printed at cargo and airport ticket counters. This Southwest FACTA class action settlement resolved two FACTA class action lawsuits filed against the airline and provided eligible Class Members with compensation ranging from $25 to $200.

Similarly, Airgas USA LLC (a specialty gas and hardwood distributor) agreed to settle a FACTA class action lawsuit which alleged the company had violated FACTA by printing consumer’s credit or debit card expiration dates on receipts for sales transactions. Airgas denied all liability, but agreed to settle in order to avoid court costs. This resulted in compensation to consumers whose rights under FACTA had been violated by Airgas, about $30 for each eligible Airgas FACTA Class Member.

Consumers who believe a company violated FACTA rules during their sales transaction should consider filing or joining a FACTA class action lawsuit, as they may receive compensation from a settlement like those mentioned above.

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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