What’s the Security Code on a Credit Card?
Well, before the massive popularity of online shopping really took hold, and you pretty much had to have a credit card to take part in any online commerce at all, no one really knew what a “security code” was on a credit card, let alone where to find this necessary little identifier of identity and security for credit card users.
This little three digit number, at least it’s three digits on US credit cards whether it’s a credit card for bad credit, a college student credit card, or special balance transfer credit card, is a powerful code that can prevent you from making online purchases, and with good reason, if you can’t provide it to specially encrypted shopping cart programs of online shops and other online stores like Ebay and so on.
The code is a three number code that is found on the far right of the back of anyone’s credit card. Usually the online shop you’re buying from will provide an explanation of where to look on your card for the special and necessary code, but if not, you really should know it for future reference if there is no explanation in the future.
The purpose of a credit card’s security code is so that people cannot just write down your credit card number or get it in some other fraudulent way via credit card number generators or any one of the other numerous scams out there involving credit card fraud. Without the security code on the back of the credit card, which only the credit card owner should have access to, a fraudulent holder of the card should not be able to make any sort of purchases with it.
However, when this doesn’t work, of course, is if someone actually stole your credit card right out of your purse and you have not noticed it was missing, and so could not report it as stolen so that any activity after the point it was stolen can be denied by the credit card company. This is why it is so important to do spot checks of your wallet and make sure nothings’ amiss, especially if you rarely use your credit or debit card.
For someone like me who uses my credit and debit cards nearly every day, it’s not as important, since I’m constantly looking at them, but for someone who seldom does, it opens them up for the possibility of not noticing their credit card is missing until it’s too late and someone has already racked up charges on their card.
