heneghan@ihuxa.UUCP (Joe Heneghan) (09/07/84)
Last night I bought some paint at a SAXON store in Chicago with my VISA card. To verify this number they call a database in Florida with a nifty autodialer. The clerk pushed a key and an LED display prompted for the number. The number was then sent to Florida and analyzed quickly and much to my satisfaction, acurately. This is good for a number of reasons: 1.) The monthly books with deadbeat numbers are avoided. They're usually out of date. People whose cards have been compromised can report this to the database instantly
hawk@oliven.UUCP (09/12/84)
> The clerk pushed a key and >an LED display prompted for the number. Around here they run the card through a magnetic reader which then calls. They don't even have to punch any numbers. -- rick (Rick Hawkins @ Olivetti ATC) [hplabs|zehntel|fortune|ios|tolerant|allegra|tymix]!oliveb!oliven!hawk
eager@amd.UUCP (Mike Eager) (09/22/84)
Control Data has a computer system in Cleveland which does nationwide credit card verification for several cards. Remote concentrators and high speed telephone communications. There are several other companies which provide a similar service. Pleasantly enough, development is done in California, where I did some consulting for Service Bureau Corp. What amazes me, is that if CDC (or the others) approve a card which the issuing bank has invalidated, the approving company stands to be charged for the loss. And there is a huge amount of credit validation each day. And some very enterprising individuals with quite interesting credit card scams. I sure wouldn't like to have that much risk.