What If Your 16-Digit Visa Number is On Your Receipt

Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), only the last five digits of a credit card may be present on an electronically printed receipt with the expiration date omitted.

If a customer sees more than the last five digits, or worst case the 16-digit visa number, then the merchant is in violation of FACTA rules.

Regardless of how often a customer uses their credit or debit card, the 16 digits are a vital access point to their bank accounts and are the primary targets of fraudsters and identity thieves everywhere.

Overview of 16-Digit Visa Number Importance

Every credit or debit card number has a specific number sequence to identify the customer’s account, with the first digits of the card indicating which of the credit card networks the card belongs to such as Visa.

With the 16-digit visa number, the first number of the credit card is always four while the second through sixth numbers are connected to the bank the customer conducts business at. The seventh through 12th, or sometimes seventh through 15th numbers, is the account number with the remaining digits being the check number.

Credit cards also contain expiration dates and extra codes like issue numbers and security codes, which differ between customers.

It is important to note that the only organization that can assign this 16-digit visa number, or any card number for that matter, is the non profit American National Standards Institute.

However, every credit card network operates differently but must adhere to the same standard regarding the amount of digits on the card as well as the system used to assign the sequence of numbers.

The maximum length a debit or credit card number can be is 19 digits, with the maximum length of an account number allowed being 12 digits.

This means each user has one trillion possible account numbers that could be assigned to a customer, with the credit card companies using the Luhn algorithm to come to the number assignment.

The Luhn algorithm is named after IBM scientist Peter Luhn, which uses a combination of numbers that must have an added total ending with zero.

If the total of the combinations adds up to anything other than a multiple of ten, then the card is invalid and cannot be used. Every debit and credit card user must be under the Luhn agreement, which is meant to make inventing card numbers more difficult.

The 16-digit visa number may be an afterthought to customers at time, but this number is vital for the customer to gain access to their personal finances and could be used against them in certain situations like identity theft.

So it is not only important for customers to understand what the 16-digit visa number on their cards mean, customers should also be aware of the federal laws in place to help protect this vital information.

Customers who see more than the last five digits or notice the expiration date on their debit or credit card receipts may be able to file legal action for FACTA violations. Potential claimants should contact a specialized lawyer, to determine their eligibility for a FACTA lawsuit.

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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