What Do
All Of Those Credit Card Numbers Mean?
Your credit card is precious and the numbers are even more important to you and
to a potential hacker hoping to steal those vital digits and use them to their
advantage. We all know that we have to take care of our credit cards; that is
just common sense. But why are there so many numbers on the card?
Well the first digit represents the system that you are using, such as Visa or
MasterCard. The rest of the numbers vary by the system that you use. If you are
using a Visa, then the second digit through to the sixth digit is the bank
number; and digits seven through to twelve or seven to fifteen are the account
number. The last digit is a check digit.
Fraud can occur by not taking
care of your credit card numbers, such as handing them out freely to unsecure
websites. Of course, nowhere is truly safe. Not so long ago, a computer hacker
got into an area that stores credit card numbers and managed to access more
than 40 million credit card numbers belonging to US citizens.
Let this
be a lesson to you: even credit card companies can compromise the information
of their clients if they aren't careful. Make sure you are doubly careful with
how you store and when you use your credit card.
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