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From The Simpsons

Masking Credit Card Numbers

Businesses could be failing to protect your private purchasing information. How safe are your transactions?

How often have you eaten at a restaurant in town, paid by credit card and noticed on the receipt you’re about to leave on the table that your entire credit card number is displayed? Anyone who picks up that receipt will have your private payment information and your signature at their disposal, including the restaurant staff. Business's should be masking your credit card number so it shows up with only four legible numbers ie. xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-1234.

January 25, 2007 Re: NOTICE California Legislation Regarding Credit Card Number Truncation on Receipts

Current laws prohibit a merchant who accepts credit cards from printing more than the last 5 digits of the credit card account number or the expiration date upon any receipt provided to the cardholder.

The new law, effective January 2009, prohibits the merchant from printing more than the last 5 digits of the credit card account number or the expiration date upon any receipt retained by the merchant, (signed or not signed by the cardholder), which is printed at the time of the purchase, exchange, refund, or return.

To help you prepare for this change, we have provided the language from the amended Civil Code, below. The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 1747.09 of the Civil Code is amended to read:1747.09. (a) Except as provided in this section, no person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, or limited liability company that accepts credit or debit cards for the transaction of business shall print more than the last five digits of the credit or debit card account number or the expiration date upon any of the following

(1) Any receipt provided to the cardholder.
(2) Any receipt retained by the person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, or limited liability company, which is printed at the time of the purchase, exchange, refund, or return, and is signed by the cardholder. (3) Any receipt retained by the person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, or limited liability company, which is printed at the time of the purchase, exchange, refund, or return, but is not signed by the cardholder, because the cardholder used a personal identification number to complete the transaction. (b) This section shall apply only to receipts that include a credit or debit card account number that are electronically printed and shall not apply to transactions in which the sole means of recording the person’s credit or debit card account number is by handwriting or by an imprint or copy of the credit or debit card. (c)This section shall not apply to documents, other than the receipts described in paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of subdivision (a), used for internal administrative purposes.(d) Paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (a) shall become operative on January 1, 2009.