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Dear Consumer Ed:
We recently ordered $800 worth of merchandise from an online store that we have purchased from in the past. A few days after placing the order, the company sent me an email stating that in order to complete the transaction, we had to email them photocopies of both front and back of the credit card used and a government-issued ID, and if we didn't they would cancel our order. I called VISA, and they told me that the only companies allowed to request that additional information are hotels, airlines, car rental companies and cruise lines. I did not send the company the information they requested, so they refused to send me my order. Can they do that?
Consumer Ed says:
Many states have laws that dictate what kind of information merchants can and cannot ask for when a consumer pays with a credit card. However, all merchants are subject to the rules and regulations outlined in their contract with the credit card company. For example, your card company, VISA, has International Operating Regulations that state merchants cannot require a cardholder to provide any supplementary information as a condition for honoring a VISA Card, subject to some exceptions. Supplementary cardholder information can include social security numbers, fingerprints, home or business addresses or telephone numbers, driver’s license numbers, photocopies of driver’s licenses, photocopies of the VISA Card, and other credit cards. As you stated, hotels, airlines, car rental companies, and cruise lines do fall within the exception to the rule... more>
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