Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
To address this question, let's first consider some issues related
to actual plastic credit cards that you might carry in your wallet.
Ignoring the Internet completely, at least four scenarios could result
in the abuse of your credit card:
1.
You might lose your credit card, and the finder might use it
to charge items to your account or sell it to someone else who
misuses it.
2.
Someone might watch your transaction in a store, record the
number, and use it (or sell it) to make unauthorized charges.
Alternatively, someone might obtain your number by taking
the carbon paper or other impression involved with a regular
transaction.
3.
You might use your credit card in a regular transaction with
a business, but the business might not provide the services or
goods you think you paid for, or the company may make ad
ditional charges or otherwise overcharge you.
4.
You might use your credit card regularly, but the company
involved with the transaction might sell or share the card in
formation with others who then abuse it.
Of the above scenarios, the first two clearly involve the theft of
your credit card number. In the first case, the card is physically
stolen, while in the second case someone has learned the number
while you retain the card itself. The other two scenarios describe sit
uations where you have provided your creditcard information to a
business, as in any regular transaction, but the business misuses it.
Charging you for services not rendered is an example of creditcard
fraud, and unauthorized distribution of your creditcard number is
both a violation of confidentiality and can possibly be considered
theft or fraud.
In each case, at some point you will discover that your credit
card has been misused. If you've physically lost the card, you might
notice your card is missing and contact your credit company di
rectly. If a company is abusing their access to your credit card, there
is the chance that you'll see an unaccountedfor extra charge on the
bill before you sign the receipt, but otherwise it might take some
