Credit Card Receipt Laws Violated, Lawsuit Claims

Plaintiffs in a recent class action lawsuit claim that the MLB and the Los Angeles Dodgers violated credit card receipt laws for exposing card information that put them at risk. The law allegedly violated is the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) of 2003, which requires that merchants truncate customers’ credit card numbers, revealing only the last 5 digits, and to hide the expiration date.

The law allegedly violated is the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) of 2003, which requires that merchants truncate customers’ credit card numbers, revealing only the last 5 digits, and to hide the expiration date.

Merchants who violate this law not only put their customers at risk from credit card fraud and identity theft, they can be liable for up to $1,000 per violation.

Case Background

Lead plaintiff Alex E. says that on October 5^th, 2018, he purchased tickets to see the Los Angeles Dodgers World Series Playoff against the Boston Red Sox, paying with his Visa credit card. When he was given his receipt, he found that it was printed with the card’s expiration date and the last four digits of his account.

As a result, Alex was forced to take steps in order to avoid becoming the victim of fraud. Specifically, the plaintiff says that his private financial information was disclosed to the cashier at the stadium, constituting a breach of confidence and “implied bailment” (a contractual relationship under common law when real or personal property is transferred from one person to another).

Alex further says that the LA Dodgers and the MLB were either aware of their obligations under FACTA credit card receipt laws, or should have been.

According to the complaint, the defendants’ failure to follow the law has put the plaintiffs at risk for identity theft and other forms of financial fraud. The complaint notes that sporting and entertainment events are prime hunting grounds for identity thieves and that business entities involving in these industries should have been more vigilant in light of this fact.

FACTA and Credit Card Receipt Laws

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act was signed into law at a time that identity theft was becoming a serious issue. Prior to this, the information that could be printed on a credit card receipt was at the discretion of individual vendors and retailers.

Without standards, identity thieves were able to easily piece together information from multiple receipts from the same card in able to reconstruct the victim’s full profile, including the card number and the expiration date – generally, all the information necessary to be able to charge purchases to a particular card.

FACTA was intended to protect consumers by severely limiting how much information is allowed to be printed on a sales receipt. Credit card receipt laws under FACTA are applicable to any and all electronically printed receipts. At the time the law was passed, merchants and retailers were given three years to fully comply with the law.

Given that passage of the law was widely publicized, it is highly unlikely that the MLB was unaware of its obligations to consumers.

Have Your Rights Under Credit Card Receipt Laws Been Violated?

If you purchased LA Dodger tickets and have reason to believe you were issued an improper receipt, you may be eligible to join a FACTA class action lawsuit Case No. 18STCVO2491, California Superior Court, County of Los Angeles.

Join a Free Credit Card Receipt Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you have a receipt, invoice or contract from a retailer or vendor that includes more than the last five digits of your credit card or debit card number or any portion of the expiration date, you may qualify to file a credit card receipt class action lawsuit.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented 
for informational purposes only.