Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Snow expected on passes Sunday and Monday, possibly on valley floor ... Fire took home from mom and her boys ... New bridge would connect east, west Nevada Street in Ashland ... Snow expected on passes Sunday and Monday, possibly on valley floor ... Fire took home from mom and her boys ... New bridge would connect east, west Nevada Street in Ashland ... SINCE YOU ASKED Since You Asked: Online credit card typo not someone else's problem Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Dec. 1, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Dec. 1, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News As I was shopping online the other day, the site spotted that I was off a digit when I gave them my debit card number. As we've all done once or twice, the card simply bounced back and prompted me to put the card in correctly. It was then that I realized I've never had a freebie online because I was off a number, nor have I ever seen something funny on my statement because of someone else's goof. I'm sure that's how it's supposed to be, but how do they do that? — Curious Shopper, via email If only because we could peruse Amazon for "research," we like your question, Mr. or Mrs. Shopper. Although we've been known to dial a wrong number or two here at Since You Asked headquarters, typos putting in a MasterCard don't equate to free stuff. That's because although your bank card number's lengthy, it's far from random. You may have noticed that all Visa cards start with a "4," MasterCards with at "5," American Express with a "3" and Discover with a "6." While the first number indicates the card network, information about the issuing bank and/or lending institution is found within the first six digits of the card. Those first six digits are used as the "Major Industry Identifier" number and identifies whether that card is issued from Bank of America or Deutsche Bank, although many institutions have more than one MII number. After those first six digits is a variable-length account number, plus a digit that ensures the card number fits within an algorithm. That algorithm was named after IBM engineer Hans Peter Luhn who developed the system in the 1950s and is used in other lengthy numbers, such as the International Mobile Identity number issued to each mobile phone. The Luhn Algorithm isn't for fraud prevention; rather it's a safeguard against human error used in the case of bank cards to prevent a very expensive "oops" moment. Before you start wondering why bad guys don't just start typing 16 digits that start with the number "4," you also can thank statistics for being another safeguard against a very expensive "oops" moment. There were 849 million Visa cards issued worldwide in 2014, according to CreditCards.com , and a theoretical 10 trillion combinations. Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected] . To see a collection of columns, go to mailtribune.com/youasked . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Dec. 1, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501