Markets Wired

As merchants get busier with holiday shopping, the Federal Trade Commission reminds them to be sure the credit and debit card receipts they give customers comply with federal law.

To reduce the risk of fraud and identity theft, the electronically printed credit and debit card receipts given to consumers must not include more than the last five digits of the card number, and must not show the expiration date.

“The law applies to all businesses that accept credit or debit cards. Whether you are the corner store or a national chain, you need to make sure that your electronic receipts comply with the law,” said Thomas A. Cohn, Director of the FTC’s Northeast Region. “Credit and debit card numbers, along with expiration dates, can be used by fraudsters and identity thieves.”

To help make merchants aware of their responsibility to truncate this information, the Commission’s regional offices led a nationwide campaign that included sending the FTC’s Business Alert, “Slip Showing?” to 187 national trade associations. The alert also is available on the FTC’s Web site www.ftc.gov. Merchants who fail to comply with the law could face FTC law enforcement action, including civil penalties of up to $2,500 per violation.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, click http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.shtm or call 1-877-382-4357. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,600 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. For free information on a variety of consumer topics, click http://ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm.