FACTA Laws Prohibit a Full Credit Card Number on a Receipt from a Retailer

Did you know that revealing a full credit card number on a receipt is a violation of the law? The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) prohibits anything but the last five digits of a debit or credit card number to appear on a consumer receipt.

The expiration date of the card is barred from appearing on the receipt too.

FACTA was enacted in 2003 to help protect consumers from credit card fraud. Even though the law has been in effect for 15 years, consumers are still discovering businesses who violate these federal laws. A business that previously has complied with FACTA suddenly could become out of compliance due to a software update.

Full Credit Card Number on a Receipt Violates FACTA

The printing of a full credit card number on a receipt can leave a consumer vulnerable to credit card fraud or identity theft. “No person that accepts credit cards or debit cards for the transaction of a 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,” says FACTA.

The receipt needs to include enough information that both the retailer and the consumer are able to identify the purchase in the future in the event a return is needed. A receipt that reveals only the last five digits of a card offers enough information to identify the card used in the event of a return, but is not enough to help a fraudster commit identity theft.

The combination of numbers that would come before the final five digits are too numerous for a hacker to guess. The would-be fraudster also would have to guess the expiration date. When followed correctly, FACTA makes it highly improbable that anyone would figure out a consumer’s entire credit card number and expiration date.

FACTA Laws are Not Optional

Retailers who fail to honor FACTA have been taken to court over their violations. Although FACTA became law in 2003, retailers were given a grace period until December 2006 to establish uniform compliance. Some businesses received an additional two years, which means they had until 2008 to make the needed business adaptations to become FACTA compliant.

Retailers that have been warned to become FACTA compliant but continue to violate the law may end up with an enormous legal liability. Printing the full credit card number on a receipt is only one way a retailer can be in violation of FACTA. Even if a business follows the guidelines by printing only the last five digits of the credit card number, the business can still be in violation of FACTA if card’s expiration date appears on the receipt.

Consumers should always check their receipts to make sure that neither the expiration date nor the full credit card number on a receipt are visible. Any such receipt could put the consumer in a position to file 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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