Is It Legal for a Business to print entire credit card numbers and expiration dates on receipts?

I'm talking restaraunts and retailers. I ask because a coworker found a receipt I had dropped in the parking lot. I didn't think anything of it, until I noticed all of my credit card info was on it.

SCARY! I'm wondering if that's even legal anymore. Asked by new2you 59 months ago Similar questions: Legal Business print entire credit card numbers expiration dates receipts Business > Financial Services.

Similar questions: Legal Business print entire credit card numbers expiration dates receipts.

That IS scary! In most states, this is illegal. Federal consumer law has yet to be finalized regarding personally identifying information on sales receipts, but in California, for example, any vendor can be fined SEVERELY for every single incident of leaving a full name, credit card number or other identifying information on a card.As far as I know, more than 40 states have similar legislation.

WHere are you located? .

It's now illegal in most states to print the entire credit card number I can't include all the legislative text due to space limitations (full text available at link) but here are 2005 and 2004 text:ArkansasH.B. 1030Withdrawn by sponsor 1/25/05Provides a penalty for improper display of credit number on receipt.CaliforniaS.B. 802Signed by governor 9/30/05, Chapter 445Prohibits a person or business that accepts debit cards for the transaction of business from printing more than the last five digits of the debit card’s account number or the expiration date upon any receipt provided to the cardholder.IowaS.B.228Prohibits the printing of credit card numbers and expiration dates on sales receipts and provides a penalty.MassachusettsH.B.3693Prohibits a person or business that accepts debit cards for the transaction of business from printing more than the last five digits of the debit card’s account number or the expiration date upon any receipt provided to the cardholder.MichiganH.B.4045Prohibits display of more than last four digits of account number on credit card receipt.MississippiH.B.930Died in committee 2/1/05Prohibits display of more than last four digits of account number on credit card receipt. New HampshireH.B.188Prohibits sellers from printing more than the last five digits of the account number or the expiration date on credit card receipts. The prohibition does not apply to receipts that are handwritten or created by an imprint of the card.

New JerseyS.B.1185Prohibits sellers from electronically printing more than the last five digits of the account number or the expiration date on credit card receipts. The prohibition does not apply to receipts that are handwritten or created by an imprint of the card. New YorkA.B.865S.B.245Prohibits a merchant from writing a customer’s address or telephone number on a credit card transaction form or on any attachment thereto; removes the exception that allows merchant to record the customers name and address where the amount of the transaction is below the stores floor limit.

North DakotaS.B.2249Signed by governor 3/16/05Relates to restrictions on electronically-printed receipts; receipts for these credit card transactions may not print on the receipt provided to the customer more than the last five digits of the credit card account number nor print on the receipt provided to the customer the expiration date of the credit card. This section does not apply to a credit card transaction in which the sole means of recording the customer's credit card number is by handwriting or by an imprint or copy of the credit card.PennsylvaniaH.B.565Requires that credit card receipts shall not contain the full number and expiration date of a credit card on a receipt. Rhode IslandH.B.5161Passed House 5/10/05Prohibits the printing of credit card account numbers on sales receipts with respect to any kind of sales transaction.TennesseeH.B.609S.B.974Enacts the "Tennessee Credit and Debit Card Number Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2005" and makes violation thereof a violation of "Tennessee Consumer Protection Act of 1977."H.B.1095Signed by governor 5/13/05, Public Law Chapter 161S.B.1843Prohibits persons who accept credit cards or debit cards from printing receipts that show more than five digits of the card number or the expiration date.

This would only apply to electronically printed receipts and would not apply to transactions where a card number must be handwritten, or the card must be imprinted or copied.2004 LegislationCaliforniaA.B.3013Prohibits a credit card issuer from printing more than the last eight digits of the credit card account number on each billing statement provided to a cardholder. Prohibits a credit card issuer from printing the cardholder's account number on the check when endorsing a cardholder's payment check.HawaiiH.B.2940Prohibits anyone who accepts credit cards for the transaction of business and who prints the transaction receipt electronically from printing on the receipt anything more than the last five digits of the credit card account number and the card expiration date.S.B.2083Restricts reproducing of credit card or Social Security numbers to last four digits or requires use of other characters for identification.IowaH.F.2221Prohibits sellers from printing on sales receipts credit card expiration dates and credit card numbers except for the last four digits. This prohibition does not apply to sales receipts that are handwritten or sales receipts that are created by an imprint or copy of the credit card.

Violations are punishable as a simple misdemeanor. A simple misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than 30 days or a fine of at least $50 but not more than $500 or by both.KentuckyH.B.7Signed by governor 4/2/04, Chapter 27Creates a new section of KRS 434.550 to 434.730 relating to credit and debit cards to require that electronic cash registers and similar machines print not more than the last five digits of the credit or debit card number and do not print the card expiration date on credit and debit card receipts; provides that the Act does not apply to handwritten receipts or to nonelectronic imprints of credit and debit cards; amends 434.560 to define merchant, payment card, reencoder, and scanning device; amends KRS 434.730 to create a Class D felony for using a scanning device or reencoder to gather information encoded on magnetic strip of payment card or place information on the magnetic strip of a different card with intent to defraud authorized user or issuer of card; make subsequent offenses a Class C felony; provides for suppliers of credit or debit card hardware or software to comply with the bill; effective 1/25/059 for newly installed machines and 1/25/057 for current machines.MaineL.D.1854Signed by governor 3/30/04, Chapter 586Delays for one year the implementation of the law that prohibits businesses from printing more than the last five numbers of a credit card or debit card account on an electronically produced receipt.MarylandH.B.458Withdrawn from further consideration 2/23/04Increases from $25 to $100 the civil penalty that may be recovered from a person that accepts a credit card number or other payment device number for the transaction of business and prints more than eight digits of the credit card number or other payment device number on a receipt provided to the holder of the credit card or payment device.MassachusettsH.B.1047Relates to the printing of credit card numbers in business transactions.MichiganH.B.4250Amends the Michigan Penal Code to make it a misdemeanor for a person engaged in the conduct of trade or commerce to issue or deliver a receipt to a consumer that displays any part of the expiration date of a credit or debit card or more than the last four digits of the card’s account number. A violation would be punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000.H.B.6175Passed House 1/25/053S.B.220Signed by governor 12/27/04, Public Act 461Prohibits the expiration date and full account number from being printed on receipts.MississippiH.B.1437Died in committee 3/9/04Prohibits the display of certain charge, credit and debit card information upon receipts in sales transactions; provides penalties for violations.

New JerseyS.B. 1185Amends section 1 of P.L.2002, c.101 (C.56:11-42) to prohibit a retail sales establishment from electronically printing more than the last five digits of a customer’s debit card account number, or the expiration date of the customer’s debit card, upon any sales receipt provided to the customer at the point of sale, except for any sales receipt in which the sole means of recording the customer’s debit card number is by handwriting or by an imprint or copy of the customer’s debit card.PennsylvaniaH.B.1223Amends the Credit Card Information Act, prohibiting certain credit card information on receipts. Rhode IslandH.B.7135Became effective without governor’s signature 7/1/04, Public Law 238Establishes liability with respect to the electronic printing of credit card account numbers on sales receipts.H.B.7485Prohibits vendors who accept credit cards from issuing a receipt to the credit card holder which lists more than five numbers from the cardholder’s credit card account number.S.B.2105Became effective without governor’s signature 1/25/057, Public Law 211Establishes liability with respect to the electronic printing of credit card account numbers on sales receipts. South DakotaH.B. 1279Limits the information printed on an electronic credit card or debit card receipt and provides for a civil cause of action for failure to comply with the provisions of this Act.VirginiaH.B.537Signed by governor 1/25/058, Chapter 793Changes the deadline for old devices to comply with the prohibition on printing certain information on receipts from 1/25/058, to 1/25/059.

Changes the prohibition of displaying certain information on payment device receipts from no more than the last five digits to no more than the last four digits. Extends the prohibition to handwritten, imprinted and copied payment device numbers, except for the one original. Allows compliance by returning noncomplying copies to or destroying them in front of the payment device user.

References to credit cards and debit cards were removed because the Congress pre-empted the law’s application to credit card and debit card receipts with the reauthorization of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. See 15 U.S.C.1681c(g) and 1681t(b)(5)(A). Sources: http://www.ncsl.org/programs/lis/privacy/CreditCardReceipts.htm .

PIPEDA says no. In Canada, Businesses are required to protect personal information under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). The act places a legal duty on the retail sector to protect personal information from the risks that can lead to identity theft, with very stiff penalties.

Even so, some retailers still print the whole thing. In the USA, it's a little more complicated. For example, in North Carolina, merchants are prohibited from printing receipts that bare more than 5 digits of the customer's credit card number, while other states have no specific legislation in place yet.

Identity theft has only begun to be taken seriously in the past decade, so it will unfortunately take some time for the lumbering legal system to catch up fully. For now, the onus may be on the consumer to make sure that their credit card receipts are either filed away safely, or shredded.

I didn't think it was legal Every time I get a receipt for a charge purchase, it only shows the last four numbers of my credit card. I wonder if they gave you the wrong copy? Their copy must have all that info.

On it. Might be worth while to ask the manager.

1 Thank you! I actually called the identity theft hotline and reported the business in question. Then I looked in my wallet and noticed two other receipts from different businesses with my credit card information.SCARY.

Watch your receipts! Shred them up!

Thank you! I actually called the identity theft hotline and reported the business in question. Then I looked in my wallet and noticed two other receipts from different businesses with my credit card information.SCARY.

Watch your receipts! Shred them up!

They entered it in the system to charge monthly. " "Is it legal for a business to advertise that they accept a specific credit card then refuse to upon payment?

What numbers are used to charge on a credit card.

They entered it in the system to charge monthly.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.