Credit Card Anatomy and Security Features:

In this article, we will outline the anatomy of credit / debit cards, the security features found on each, and how to use the information on the card. 

1. Credit Card Account Number

The numbers (Typically found) on the front of the credit card. 

16 digits for Visa, Mastercard, and Discover. 

15 digits for American Express.

What it is:

The credit card account number is the number associated with the credit / debit / prepaid account holding the funds for transactions. The number is created, following Luhn's Algorithm, or the Modulus 10 algorithm. The first 6 digits can be referenced in order to find the issuer of the card. These 6 digits are called the BIN number, or bank identification number.

How to use it:

Fraudsters often have the capabilities of creating their own physical cards for use with fraudulent transactions. The information on the card can be cross-referenced for authenticity if the cashier knows what to look for. For example, all authentic visa cards begin the number 4. Mastercards start with 5. Discover cards start with a 6. American express has 15 digits and begins with the number 3.

2. CVV - The Card Verification Value.

What it is:

The 3 or 4 digit number on the back of a card (on the front for American Express), used to verify the card details, especially in a CNP, or "Card Not Present" environment, such as online, or over-the-phone payments.

How to use it:

When accepting payments, there are several security measures that are employed. Simply requesting a CVV in your checkout form can help deter some potential fraud. Even if your processor does not require CVV information, be sure to include this field in your checkout.

When fraudsters look at a checkout form and see that the CVV or the billing information is not requested, they are more likely to attempt checkout by using partial card information.

3. Magnetic Stripe

The final item in my 3-part post regarding the information physically available on a credit card covers the magnetic strip used for swipe payment processing.

Magnetic Stripe - The encoded black stripe on the back of credit / debit / pre-paid cards.

What it is:

A stripe of information, configured in a 3x3 grid format, containing the relevant information needed for processing payment against a credit / debit / pre-paid account.

How to use it

From a perspective of fraud prevention, it is important to note a couple items in this post.

1. The magnetic stripe information contains the Cardholder name, the credit card number, and the expiration date for the card, along with other sensitive information, contained on what are referred to as "Tracks". Of the 3 available tracks, debit and credit transaction information are contained on tracks 1 and 2. The 3rd track is typically used for gift cards.

2. The "Track information" contains additional information to what is visible on the card, including what is considered to be a "password" in order to attempt payment.