What Credit Card Information Is Encrypted?
People use credit cards every day. Credit cards provide purchasing power without the hassle of carrying cash. Unfortunately, identity theft is a major issue when using credit cards. In recent years, the federal government has instituted laws stating that businesses must encrypt credit card data to prevent fraudulent activity.
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Function
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Credit card encryption refers to processing information and making it unreadable.
Significance
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Encryption greatly reduces your chances of falling victim to identity theft. It prevents anyone from the unauthorized use of your credit card.
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Types
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Your profile data is encrypted in a credit card transaction. This feature will prevent identity thieves from matching your credit card data to your personal information, such as name and address.
Types
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In point-of-sale transactions, the first 12 numbers of your credit card are encrypted to prevent anyone from knowing your full credit card number. Only the last 4 digits are shown. This prevents unauthorized Internet, and mail-order purchases from being made with your credit card.
Considerations
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In online sales, businesses are required to use secured socket layered encryption to process credit cards. This ensures that your credit card data is not susceptible to hackers and online identity thieves.
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