Just wanted to ask if a merchant/travel agent is legally allowed to copy my driver’s license and the credit card and keep? I recently did a large transacation of about a thousand dollars with a travel agent. After processing the payment, the agent took a copy of my driver’s license and credit card with him. I was wondering if its legally allowed to do so? I was concerned he may post a transaction maybe an year later on my card, and I may be too busy to notice it. Is it all possible?
i guess….one concern i had is .. what if he tries to sneak in a transaction of say $15.93 next year in October…and then maybe $7.93 in December…I know we all get bills and can check it…but such "innocent" transactions can get entirely unnoticed and I may end up paying for them. Is the above possible?
The reason they do this is to protect themselves from a "chargeback". A chargeback is a disputed charge that a merchant is often forced to refund to the cardholder if they do not have the proper documentation to prove that the cardholder actually made and understood the terms of the purchase. In the travel industry, there is an especially high level of chargebacks because folks purchase nonrefundable travel packages and then can’t make the trip – then they lie, cheat and steal to get their money back. Travel agents also can’t control fulfillment issues by airlines, hotels, etc. so it is VERY difficult for them to even get a merchant account. By photocopying your drivers license and credit card, they will more likely be able to prove that you were present at the time of the transaction if you dispute the charge. This is a relatively common practice.
Your risk here isn’t significantly greater than it is with most credit card purchases as long as they didn’t store your CVV code on the back of your card. Many businesses store your credit card # on their POS systems and many thermal credit card terminals have your full credit card number on the merchant copy and only truncate the numbers on the cardholder copy. You’re always at risk of being the victim of fraud and that is why it is so important to regularly monitor your statements. I actually do it online in the middle of the month to assure that no mystery charges turn up.
Also, if you’re not aware of how easily your credit card info can be stolen, check out the link below. It usually happens in places where you aren’t worried about it!