By Na Jeong-ju
The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) has launched a crackdown on manufacturers of credit-card readers following reports that receipts issued to some card users could be used in criminal offenses.
A consumer group recently claimed that card numbers and expiration dates were printed on receipts issued from a number of card readers and that these could be taken advantage of by criminals.
All credit cards have unique 16-digit numbers and an expiration date. People can buy products on the Internet or order goods on a telephone using only this information.
“The expiration date and card numbers should not be fully printed on receipts, but some card-reader makers didn’t follow this guideline,” an FSS official said.
The official said that the FSS will make it mandatory for all card-reader makers to hide the ninth to 12th digits of the 16-card numbers, as well as expiration dates, when they issue receipts.
“We will take strong disciplinary measures against card-reader makers who don’t comply with this rule,” the official said.
The FSS said it will also sengthen trpunishments against card firms if they fail to enhance security systems against possible identity theft and hacking.
The regulator recently ordered card firms to correct the practice of collecting personal information from customers, saying that such data could be misused.
Hana SK Card and Samsung Card were earlier accused of leaking customer information, prompting concerns about the mishandling of personal data at financial firms.
The regulator also recently disciplined two insurance sales agents for using stolen personal information data in sales activities.
