A Debit Card Receipt May Put Customers at Risk for Identity Theft

When a customer goes to a retail establishment and uses a debit card to pay, he or she expects to get a debit card receipt that follows the rules of federal law. However, some customers may get a debit card receipt after their purchase that violates FACTA.

FACTA is the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act. It was passed in 2003 as an amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

FACTA establishes a few new consumer protections. First, it allows for consumers to access their credit reports for free once a year from the three major United States consumer credit reporting companies.

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act also helps to reduce incidences of identity theft by putting regulations on what a retailer can print on a credit card or debit card receipt.

Under FACTA, a retailer may not include any part of a credit card or debit card expiration date on a credit card or debit card receipt. Additionally, a retailer may not print any more than the last four digits of a customer’s card number on a credit card or debit card receipt.

“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,” FACTA reads.

If a merchant prints more than the last five digits on a debit card receipt or prints the expiration date, the merchant has violated FACTA and thereby, federal law. This law protects customers by making sure a thief is not able to take a credit card or debit card number from a discarded receipt.

Often, the missing numbers are filled in with a pound sign or an asterisk. This process is called truncation and must be done correctly by merchants who use a digital point of sale system. Nearly all businesses use a digital or electronic POS system to print receipts.

If a consumer believes that he or she has been the victim of a FACTA violation because of the improper printing of sensitive information on a debit card receipt or a credit card receipt, then he or she may have legal options. Consumers affected by receipts that violate FACTA may be able to file a civil lawsuit and seek statutory damages of up to $1,000 per violation.

If you believe this applies to you, you may benefit from speaking to an attorney experienced in FACTA law.

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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