The CSC is a three-digit or four-digit code that can be used online to verify your identity as the cardholder. It is also known as CVV2 (Card Verification Value 2). In this article, we have discussed what the CSC code is and how it works.
In this guide, we find out What Is Csc For Credit Card, how to find credit card security code without card, how to find your credit card security code online, and how to find credit card security code on statement.
What Is Csc For Credit Card
Credit card security code, or CSC, is a three-digit number or four-digit number that appears on the back of your credit card. It is also known as CVV2 code, card verification value or even CVV code. The main purpose of CSC is to establish your identity as the cardholder when making online purchases. It helps prevent fraud by making sure that only you can use your credit card online.
It is a 3-digit (Visa, MasterCard and Discover) or 4-digit (American Express) number that appears on the back of your credit card.
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The main purpose of CSC is to establish your identity as the cardholder when making online purchases.
The main purpose of CSC is to establish your identity as the cardholder when making online purchases. In most cases, it’s used as an extra security measure for verifying that you are who you say you are and that the card being used isn’t stolen. Some issuers require CSC for all transactions, while others only require it in specific circumstances (such as when making purchases over a certain amount).
Because credit cards can be easily compromised or lost, Cardholders should never share their personal information with anyone else—even if they have been given access to your account by someone else. Sharing even small amounts of information may allow third parties to misuse your account without being detected quickly enough by financial institutions or law enforcement agencies.
It is also known as CVV2, the card verification value or even CVV, CVV2 number or CSC code.
You may also be familiar with this as the CVV or card verification value. It is a 3 or 4 digit number on the back of your credit card, which you’ll enter at checkout to verify that this is your legitimate payment method. The CSC code is sometimes called CVC2, but it’s all the same thing: the number stored on your card that lets retailers verify that it’s yours and not someone else trying to use your credit cards without permission.
The code has been around since 1990 and was designed to help prevent counterfeit fraud (which can happen when malicious actors create fake cards using stolen information). By entering this number in addition to other validation methods like address verification checks, banks can ensure that only people who have access to their own accounts are making purchases online or over the phone.
Here are few things to remember about a CSC on your credit card
Here are a few things to remember about the CSC on your credit card:
- It is not a PIN.
- It is not a CVV.
- It is not a CVC.
- It is not a CID.
- It is not CVV2 or CVV3
how to find credit card security code without card
If you’ve ever used your credit card online, or over the phone, you’ve probably been asked for something known informally as the “short code” or “security code”.
That’s usually a three-digit number physically printed (but not embossed) at the right hand end of the signature strip on the back of your card.
Three digits don’t sound enough to make much of a password, and in normal circumstances they wouldn’t be.
But for what are known as card-not-present transctions, the CVV, or Card Verification Value as it is commonly known, provides a handy degree of protection against one of the most common sorts of credit card fraud, namely skimming.
Skimming is where the crooks use a booby-trapped card reader, for example glued over the real card reader on an ATM, or cunningly squeezed into the card slot on a payment terminal, to read and record the magnetic stripe on your card.
Even if you have a Chip and PIN card, the magstripe contains almost enough information for a crook to convince a website they have your card.
For example, your name as it appears on the front of the card, the “long code”, usually 16 digits across the face of the card, and the expiry date are all there on the magstripe, ready to be copied surreptitiously and used on the web.
The CVV therefore acts as a very low-tech barrier to card-not-present fraud, because most websites also require you to type in the CVV, which is not stored on the magstripe and therefore can’t be skimmed.
Of course, there are numerous caveats here, including:
Guessing CVVs
Researchers at Newcastle University in the UK recently decided to see just how effectively the second caveat was enforced, by trying to guess CVVs.
The initial findings were encouraging: after a few guesses on the same website, they’d end up locked out and unable to go and further.
Then they tried what’s called a distributed attack, using a program to submit payment requests automatically to lots of websites at the same time.
You can see where this is going.
If each website gives you five guesses, then with 200 simultaneous guesses on a range of different websites, you can get through 1000 guesses (200 × 5) in quick order without triggering a block on any of the sites.
And with 1000 guesses, you can cover all CCV possibilities from 000 to 999, stopping when you succeed.
Then you can go to a 201st site and order just about whatever you like, because you’ve “solved” the CVV without ever actually seeing the victim’s card.
In other words, you’d expect the payment processor’s back-end servers to keep track not just of the number of CVV guesses from each site, but the total number of guesses since your last successful purchase from any site.
According to Newcastle University, Mastercard stopped this sort of distributed guessing, but Visa did not.
Should you worry?
Considering how much credit card fraud happens without any need for CVV-guessing tricks like this, we don’t think this is a signal to give up online purchases entirely this festive season.
Afte all, if any of the sites or services you used recently kept your CVV, even if only to write it down temporarily while processing your transaction, you’re exposed anyway, so CVVs aren’t a significant barrier to determined crooks.
And if you’ve ever put your card details into a hacked or fraudulent website – even (or perhaps especially) if the transaction was never finalised – then the crooks probably already have everything they need to clone your card.
how to find your credit card security code online
Every credit card has a card security code printed on it. It may be called a CSC, a card verification value (CVV or CV2), card verification code (CVC) or card code verification (CCV), but you need to know what – and more important, where – it is.
Every credit card has a card security code printed on it. It may be called a CSC, a card verification value (CVV or CV2), card verification code (CVC) or card code verification (CCV), but you need to know what – and more important, where – it is.
The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Please review our list of best credit cards, or use our CardMatch™ tool to find cards matched to your needs.
It doesn’t matter what you call them – a card security code (CSC), card verification value (CVV or CV2), card verification code (CVC) or even a card code verification (CCV) – those three or four digits provide an additional measure of credit card security when you make purchases online, by mail or over the phone. But finding them can be confusing, especially if you’ve never made an online purchase with that specific card.
The card security code “is one in a series of steps that merchants can take to prevent fraud and verify that the order is being placed by the actual cardholder,” said Matthew Towson, director of community affairs for Discover Financial Services, adding that in most cases, the only way for a cardholder to provide the security code is to actually be in possession of the card.
Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about a credit card CVV – and where to find yours when you need it.
What is a credit card CVV?
A credit card security code helps protect you (and the business or nonprofit that’s processing your payment) from scammers, and most charge cards and debit cards also have one.
Security codes aren’t as vulnerable as credit card numbers to data breaches and theft because service providers and merchants aren’t supposed to store them in their systems. The only place they appear is directly on the physical card.
So when a retailer asks for your security code, they’re essentially asking for proof you have the card in your possession.
Why your security code is so important
Card-not-present fraud has soared in recent years as point-of-sale payments in the U.S. become more secure and e-commerce grows more popular. The dramatic rise in massive data breaches has also helped fuel the digital fraud boom.
Asking for your code is one of the few significant defenses that online merchants have against processing a fraudulent payment. Although cardholders typically benefit from their issuers’ zero-liability policies, merchants are often hit hard by card-not-present fraud. Unlike in-store card transactions, merchants are typically held liable for online fraud.
Even security codes aren’t 100% fraud-proof since a scammer can still get your card’s security code without your knowledge by manually copying it down or by breaking into a database that’s improperly storing your information.
But in general, it’s much harder for thieves to access a card’s security code than your card number or other data. Since the number is only printed on the face of the card, it’s also protected from other forms of card fraud, such as skimming the card’s magnetic stripe or shimming its chip.
Where to find the security code
Here’s where to look when you’re searching for your card’s security code:
The codes are an important safety measure for online transactions
Even as the U.S. payment system continues its migration to chip-equipped EMV cards, security codes will still be printed and used the same way they are now, according to Doug Johnson, vice president of risk management policy for the American Bankers Association.
“For consumers who are conducting online transactions, it’s still an important security measure to have,” he said. Even with chip cards, “the goal is not to move away from other important security measures that help protect consumers.”
If you can’t read the security code for any reason, call the issuing financial institution at the customer service number listed on the back of your credit card. Each financial institution will have its own guidelines for how to handle illegible security codes, but it may require reissuing the card.
Since the security code is a safety feature, just like your PIN, you will want to protect it. Generally, as long as you have a secure connection, you can safely provide it during online transactions. The merchant is prohibited, for security purposes, from storing the code.
When to share your credit card security code
In most cases, you should share your credit card security number only if you’re making a virtual transaction online or over the phone.
In industry-speak, this is called a card-not-present transaction. Since the merchant can’t verify your identity by physically checking your driver’s license or by asking you to sign a receipt or enter a PIN, they may ask you for this special number instead before they’ll process your transaction.
Merchants aren’t required to use a security code to process a payment, though. So you may come across online retailers who don’t ask for it.
In rare cases, you may be asked to share your security code in person if a merchant, such as a vendor at a conference or a crafter at a fair, processes your card manually using a credit card imprinter or writes your card information on a piece of paper.
In this scenario, proceed with extra caution. Under PCI Security Standards, merchants are discouraged from storing your security code once they’ve processed a transaction. But a smaller business or hobbyist accepting manual card payments may not have such stringent security practices.
Decline to share your security code if you feel suspicious about it or if you don’t regularly check your statement history for unauthorized transactions.
What happens if your credit card information is stolen?
Although card-not-present fraud is a big problem for retailers and service providers that accept virtual card payments, you shouldn’t have to worry about losing money yourself to a credit card scam.
Credit card holders are protected from liability by the Fair Credit Billing Act. Most card issuers also go beyond the requirements of the law by promising customers that they won’t pay a penny if their card information is illegally used by someone else.
Bottom line
Requiring you to provide your credit card security code may slow down a payment somewhat by requiring you to track down and enter three to four more numbers. But merchants are asking for this data for a good reason.
If you elect to store your card information with a retailer after an initial transaction, the retailer won’t ask for your security code for future transactions. So, you won’t have to go digging for your card every time you make an online purchase.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on the objective assessment of our writers and is not driven by advertising dollars. It has not been provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners.
Kelly Dilworth is a personal finance contributor and former staff reporter at CreditCards.com. She began her career in journalism at The Atlantic in 2007, then detoured into nonfiction book publishing for several years. She returned to journalism in 2010 and since then has written about everything from 20-somethings with Herculean credit scores to the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decisions.
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how to find credit card security code on statement
Every credit card has a card security code printed on it. It may be called a CSC, a card verification value (CVV or CV2), card verification code (CVC) or card code verification (CCV), but you need to know what – and more important, where – it is.
Every credit card has a card security code printed on it. It may be called a CSC, a card verification value (CVV or CV2), card verification code (CVC) or card code verification (CCV), but you need to know what – and more important, where – it is.
The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Please review our list of best credit cards, or use our CardMatch™ tool to find cards matched to your needs.
It doesn’t matter what you call them – a card security code (CSC), card verification value (CVV or CV2), card verification code (CVC) or even a card code verification (CCV) – those three or four digits provide an additional measure of credit card security when you make purchases online, by mail or over the phone. But finding them can be confusing, especially if you’ve never made an online purchase with that specific card.
The card security code “is one in a series of steps that merchants can take to prevent fraud and verify that the order is being placed by the actual cardholder,” said Matthew Towson, director of community affairs for Discover Financial Services, adding that in most cases, the only way for a cardholder to provide the security code is to actually be in possession of the card.
Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about a credit card CVV – and where to find yours when you need it.
What is a credit card CVV?
A credit card security code helps protect you (and the business or nonprofit that’s processing your payment) from scammers, and most charge cards and debit cards also have one.
Security codes aren’t as vulnerable as credit card numbers to data breaches and theft because service providers and merchants aren’t supposed to store them in their systems. The only place they appear is directly on the physical card.
So when a retailer asks for your security code, they’re essentially asking for proof you have the card in your possession.
Why your security code is so important
Card-not-present fraud has soared in recent years as point-of-sale payments in the U.S. become more secure and e-commerce grows more popular. The dramatic rise in massive data breaches has also helped fuel the digital fraud boom.
Asking for your code is one of the few significant defenses that online merchants have against processing a fraudulent payment. Although cardholders typically benefit from their issuers’ zero-liability policies, merchants are often hit hard by card-not-present fraud. Unlike in-store card transactions, merchants are typically held liable for online fraud.
Even security codes aren’t 100% fraud-proof since a scammer can still get your card’s security code without your knowledge by manually copying it down or by breaking into a database that’s improperly storing your information.
But in general, it’s much harder for thieves to access a card’s security code than your card number or other data. Since the number is only printed on the face of the card, it’s also protected from other forms of card fraud, such as skimming the card’s magnetic stripe or shimming its chip.
Where to find the security code
Here’s where to look when you’re searching for your card’s security code:
The codes are an important safety measure for online transactions
Even as the U.S. payment system continues its migration to chip-equipped EMV cards, security codes will still be printed and used the same way they are now, according to Doug Johnson, vice president of risk management policy for the American Bankers Association.
“For consumers who are conducting online transactions, it’s still an important security measure to have,” he said. Even with chip cards, “the goal is not to move away from other important security measures that help protect consumers.”
If you can’t read the security code for any reason, call the issuing financial institution at the customer service number listed on the back of your credit card. Each financial institution will have its own guidelines for how to handle illegible security codes, but it may require reissuing the card.
Since the security code is a safety feature, just like your PIN, you will want to protect it. Generally, as long as you have a secure connection, you can safely provide it during online transactions. The merchant is prohibited, for security purposes, from storing the code.
When to share your credit card security code
In most cases, you should share your credit card security number only if you’re making a virtual transaction online or over the phone.
In industry-speak, this is called a card-not-present transaction. Since the merchant can’t verify your identity by physically checking your driver’s license or by asking you to sign a receipt or enter a PIN, they may ask you for this special number instead before they’ll process your transaction.
Merchants aren’t required to use a security code to process a payment, though. So you may come across online retailers who don’t ask for it.
In rare cases, you may be asked to share your security code in person if a merchant, such as a vendor at a conference or a crafter at a fair, processes your card manually using a credit card imprinter or writes your card information on a piece of paper.
In this scenario, proceed with extra caution. Under PCI Security Standards, merchants are discouraged from storing your security code once they’ve processed a transaction. But a smaller business or hobbyist accepting manual card payments may not have such stringent security practices.
Decline to share your security code if you feel suspicious about it or if you don’t regularly check your statement history for unauthorized transactions.
What happens if your credit card information is stolen?
Although card-not-present fraud is a big problem for retailers and service providers that accept virtual card payments, you shouldn’t have to worry about losing money yourself to a credit card scam.
Credit card holders are protected from liability by the Fair Credit Billing Act. Most card issuers also go beyond the requirements of the law by promising customers that they won’t pay a penny if their card information is illegally used by someone else.
Bottom line
Requiring you to provide your credit card security code may slow down a payment somewhat by requiring you to track down and enter three to four more numbers. But merchants are asking for this data for a good reason.
If you elect to store your card information with a retailer after an initial transaction, the retailer won’t ask for your security code for future transactions. So, you won’t have to go digging for your card every time you make an online purchase.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on the objective assessment of our writers and is not driven by advertising dollars. It has not been provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners.
Kelly Dilworth is a personal finance contributor and former staff reporter at CreditCards.com. She began her career in journalism at The Atlantic in 2007, then detoured into nonfiction book publishing for several years. She returned to journalism in 2010 and since then has written about everything from 20-somethings with Herculean credit scores to the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decisions.
Learn more about Education
A 0% intro APR credit card may be your best bet for a short-term no-interest loan, as long as you read the fine print.
Airline credit cards offer frequent flyer miles for award flights and benefits like priority boarding and a free checked bag. Depending on the annual fee, many also come with extra reward categories, perks like airport lounge access and credit toward elite status. Here’s how to choose between them.