Fraud Awareness

Credit Card Fraud

Customer and card alerts

Problems with the card

• A bumpy, chipped or scratched surface with bent edges.
• A missing three-dimensional hologram.
• Unclear or angled/messy embossing.
• Metallic paint used to touch up the hologram after re-embossing the account number.
• Four printed numbers don’t match the first four numbers of the embossing.
• Irregular or inconsistent spacing and type styles.
• Signature panel doesn’t bear the repeated word “Visa” in blue and gold at an angle or “MasterCard” in multiple colours at a 45 degree angle.
• Ghost images of a previous name, number or date.

Problems with the customer

• Customer purchases a large quantity of high-priced merchandise on a newly valid card without regard to size, colour, style or price.
• Female customer uses a card with a male name, or vice versa.
• Someone purchases expensive electronics such as TVs or stereos without asking about technical specifications or warranties, or insists on taking merchandise immediately, even when delivery is included in the price.
• Customer takes their credit card from a pocket rather than a wallet, signs the sales draft very slowly or awkwardly or needs to see the name on the card before signing.
• Customer appears extremely nervous or hurries the clerk at closing time.

Although these situations can be present in a legitimate transaction, it’s best to play it safe. If you have any suspicions, call for a Code 10 authorization.