CVV2 Paranoia

[JLRodgers]

Wow... that... that just sounds like bad practice from the bank/cc company. I'm more or less speechless.

I'm hoping they just added some random numbers to the end to "confuse" people -- and it just happened to be those.

[Kogarashi]

I, too, try to be careful in sensible ways. If I initiate the call and trust the company/number I'm calling, sure I'll give you the CVV2. If you called me, I'd follow the procedure as previously outlined: get relevant info, look up the phone number myself, and call back. It's what I do when I get those e-mails asking for a login or account verification. I go to the website myself and seek out the login, rather than trust the link embedded in the e-mail.

As for the OP nuts, maybe they're confusing the CVV2 with all those warnings about never giving out your password and bank info? (And even then, legitimate companies still need bank info sometimes.)

Agreed. Sure, it's not perfect, yes if you've seen the card you can copy the numbers. But if you haven't seen the card, you're screwed. Even a little security is better than no security (so long as people understand the limits of what their security systems are capable of).

And even if you have seen the card, in most cases unless you have an excellent memory, you won't be able to remember one card and its CVV2 code amongst hundreds (or even thousands) you'll process that day. Memorizing a sequence of 16 digits plus 3-4 more from the reverse side isn't something that can be done in the one minute or less most cashiers see the credit card.

Which is why I'm always boggled by the people who think that cashiers can just blithely memorize a credit card number in a regular grocery/department store transaction. At Wal-Mart, unless the register prompts me to check signature or the PinPad is having trouble reading your card, I don't even touch your card, let alone have the time to stare intently at the numbers while I memorize them. And it would seem rather suspicious if I were to take your card and copy down the numbers onto paper right there at the register. When I do have to compare names and signatures, I've taken to covering up half or more of the actual card number with my finger while I compare, just to stave off accusations that I'm memorizing someones number.

And as for the receipt slips, at Wal-Mart at least, they don't print more than the last four digits of the card number, and don't print the CVV2 number at all, so I'm not going to get your card number that way either. Though I've still had customers scratch out the credit card number on the signature slips before handing them back to me. Yeah, I'm going to take this slip and go on a shopping spree with card number **** **** **** 1234! Instant money!

If a cashier's going to be stealing your card number, it's the cashier who takes your card out of your sight for a longer space of time, not the front-line register monkey who gets to stand in the same place for upwards of four hours at a time without moving.