So if you have either Track 1 or Track 2 data from someone’s card, that’s all you need to make a fake card and start spending. Here’s a breakdown of the data on the stripe: I’m only asked for my ID about one time in five. Even though all my credit cards clearly say “SEE ID” in the signature field. Some cashiers will check an ID if the name that pops up on the screen is obviously not the same as what it says on the card, but it’s rare. In fact, the cardholder name field is inconsequential to processing a transaction. It’s all a counterfeiter needs to produce a fake card. Most credit card payment systems use Track 2 to process transactions. Track 2: all of the above except the cardholder name. Track 1: the cardholder name, account number (PAN), expiration date, bank ID (BIN), and several other numbers the issuing bank uses to validate the data received.
Chris Brewer explained track data in depth in part 1 of this series. A standard magnetic reader can read data from one of three stripes or “tracks” on the back of your card. The data used to produce counterfeit cards is called “track data,” and it’s stored on the magnetic stripe on the back of your credit card. Most of it you can even buy on eBay or Amazon. It’s also really easy to get a hold of the counterfeit plastic cards, embossers, printers, and hot foil stampers you need to complete the job. The data needed to create a counterfeit card is surprisingly easy to obtain. This type of fraud is called “card present” because someone, somewhere in the world has presented a counterfeit payment card to a vendor. How does this happen? DIY COPY CREDIT CARDS You’ve never been there, but apparently your credit card has. You’ve just gone to eat at your favorite hometown restaurant and 48 hours later you notice charges on your credit card from Dushanbe, Tajikistan or Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.