How to Recognize FACTA Receipt Violations

Have you ever noticed FACTA receipt violations, such as your entire credit card number or its expiration date included on a receipt? If so, you may be entitled to compensation, even if the violation did not lead to theft or fraud.

Checking for FACTA receipt violations is simple, and can be done quickly every time you get a printed receipt. There are just a few FACTA rules, and knowing them (and helping to enforce them) can help protect both your sensitive card information and that of countless other customers.

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA)

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, more simply known as FACTA, was passed in 2003 in an effort to limit the information printed on credit card receipts and protect the account information of consumers. While they were given some time to conform to these new rules, businesses have been expected to be fully FACTA-compliant since 2006.

A FACTA violation is generally indicative of more than just a single violation, and indeed can mean that hundreds or thousands of other customers may also have been affected by the same problem, placing countless people’s information at risk of identity theft or fraud.

Checking for FACTA Receipt Violations

FACTA consists of just two main rules. First, the card number should be truncated (shortened) to show only the last five digits or fewer, with the rest censored. Receipts may not display any numbers from anywhere else in the card number, even if it’s five digits or fewer.

Since credit card numbers are already divided into four-digit segments, many businesses choose to ensure their own FACTA compliance by censoring everything except the last four digits.

FACTA-compliant credit card numbers should look something like this:

**** **** **** 1234

or this:

**** **** ***1 2345

Since receipts cannot show digits from elsewhere in the card number, this is not allowed on a receipt, even though fewer than five digits are displayed:

1234 **** **** ****

Besides the card number itself, the other important piece of FACTA compliance is the card’s expiration date. Businesses must censor the entirety of the expiration date. Having any portion of the expiration date displayed is a violation of FACTA.

Filing a Lawsuit Over FACTA Receipt Violations

Printing receipts is a largely automated process now, so hundreds or thousands of receipts may be printed with these FACTA receipt violations before they are caught. Consumers are in the best position to check for FACTA receipt violations. By reporting problems, a consumer may even be able to protect the information of others that may have been exposed as well.

While hand-written receipts are exempt from FACTA rules, these are rare enough that they do not usually offer much cause for concern.

Since the proof of FACTA receipt violations is found printed clearly on the bottom of receipts, it is simple enough to acquire evidence. If you have found FACTA receipt violations, either of card numbers or expiration dates, then you may be able to file a complaint or a FACTA lawsuit. Consumers who report FACTA receipt violations may even be eligible for a financial award of up to $1,000 per violation.

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.

Get Started