Posts Tagged ‘credit card number’

It does not take much to understand why many people have started to take disposable cameras on vacations instead of their expensive digital cameras. The single use cameras can provide the same functionality, but people don’t have to worry about their nice camera being stolen, lost or damaged. These days, this same idea has been translated into the financial scene and now you can acquire a single use credit card number that can offer great protection and security when making purchases online.

With credit and debit card fraud and identity theft continually on the rise, both concerned consumers and the credit card companies are always looking for ways to allow people to enjoy the convenience of using their debit or credit card for the purchases they want to make both at local retailers and online, while safeguarding the credit card information and the personal information of the consumer. One of the innovative ways that this has been made possible is through the issuing of virtual credit card numbers, which are primarily designed to be used for online purchases.

A virtual credit card number can be used anytime you want to make a purchase online allowing you to have a successful credit card transaction without ever having to reveal the real credit card numbers that are found embossed on your credit card. In most cases, the virtual credit card can only be used at one website and if not for one purchase only, then it is limited to a very brief window of time when it is valid.

This kind of arrangement helps to protect your real credit card from any computer hackers that might crack into a credit card processing submission, in order to try to steal your credit card information. Even if a hacker manages to get the complete number along with the other information they need to complete a transaction, they will be foiled because the virtual card will no longer be valid.

Even if you feel that you have a very secure connection and are not worried about hackers being able to capture your data when you submit an order online, the other thing to keep in mind are those online merchants who might not be completely trust-worthy. While the large and legitimate online retailers have credit card processing systems in place to help keep your card information secure, the unscrupulous merchants might try to take advantage of that data by either using it themselves or selling it for a high price to electronic criminals.

When you use a virtual credit card number you make it virtually impossible for a dishonest website or a cyber criminal to take advantage of that number even if they do get hold of it because it will be invalid after your purchase. This is a great way to feel very confident while shopping online and it gives people a high level of confidence that their information is protected and that the chances of identity theft and credit card fraud are essentially eliminated in this way.

With the popularity of the internet growing every day, more and more people are shopping online and paying for their purchases with credit cards. This type of shopping is fast, convenient and door delivered; factors which encourage the spread of this trend. However, have you ever stopped to think how safe credit card processing is online or whether it is possible for anyone to copy your credit card number and steal your money or worse, your identity? Studies show that almost 10 percent of the people who shop on the internet fall prey to credit card fraud. Can this be prevented? If yes, then how?

The answer to this question is yes. Yes, fraud can be prevented and the danger of copying or poaching your credit card number from the internet can be completely eliminated. Meet the virtual credit cards, which have been engineered specifically for online shopping and will provide inherent protection for those who want to shop online. Virtual credit cards, simply put, are temporary cards that expire within a very short time after their use. Therefore, if anyone did capture the number, they would not be able to use it, let alone launch an identity theft attempt, which is emerging as one of the most serious and fastest growing crimes in the USA.

It is true that virtual credit cards may be the answer to the present dilemma of fraudulent activities online. They are also a good alternative to the permanent credit card number processing, which will short circuit the efforts of criminals to gain access to your money and/or identity. At the same time, there are still a few issues that need to be answered, such as acceptance for car rentals, hotel booking or purchases of air tickets online, since you will still be asked to show your real credit card at the time of delivery of the goods. Recurring expenses too can be a problem with this solution.

It is amazing that the answer could be so simple and safe at the same time. With the virtual credit cards, you can buy whatever you want without exposing your credit card number to the criminals stalking the online shopping sites. Once the limitation of these credit card payments are ironed out, shopping online will once again be the hottest thing to do.