The idea of tagging a picture to a credit card is something which has been around for a while here in Kuala Lumpur. However, it doesn't seem to be a common standard among all the issuing banks. I assume that the cost must be high. As you've mentioned, it does help prevent a bulk of the offline fraud cases.

I like the idea of credit cards tagged to an email address. IMHO, this may require a little more real-time action from both the credit card company and the merchant, but it's definitely more secure!

Citibank credit cards put your picture on the front of the card.

Another option that is less intrusive but might get you most of the benefit is just to have you get an email whenever your card isused to buy something on line. That way, you would know there is a problem much sooner.

Yes, the picture idea has been done, but why not use finger prints. If you want a secure card, you read in a thumb print and then have to scan you thumb/finger when using it (offline). I use a finger reader all the time to get through some secure doors and it is not a hassle. Then you would not even have to sign anymore, so you break even on time. Plus, thieves will not want to give a finger print. Of course the bigger issue is identity theft, credit card theft is so yesterday.

I do like the idea of getting e-mail for all online uses. You should also be able to set alerts for transactions over x dollars or at places or areas not previously used on your card.

Finger-print scanning does sound secure. But my guess is this won't take off in the near future as it requires lots of changes at the point of sales.

Out in Asia, short messaging service (SMS) is a popular thing. I'm currentlly working with credit card issuers to issue an SMS to the card holder whenever a high value transaction is made. This means that a fraudulent card user will also need to steal the mobile phone of the card holder to get away with using his credit card.

Lots of credit card companies will let you sign up for a temporary, limited credit card number for onlince purchases. I bet yours does too. Its more reliable than email addresses which change all the time and solves the theft problem and some people's unease with online shopping.

Since we're dreaminng here....

Why not authenticate the card in real time by scanning the thumbprint ON THE CARD and matching the encoded fingerprint on the card. An authenticated user will activate the magstripe for a single use (or swipe) and then the swipe would be altered or encrypted until it was authenticated again. No change would be required to existing POS but the card technology would need some work. Perhaps a smart card chip could support enough logic to matcha fingerprint scan.

Nice idea. Why not require a PIN?

Not quite as cheap, but how about having the card incorporate the print scanner?

If I press my thumb on my debit card, it becomes activated for 30 seconds. If I press it again, it becomes activated for a minute. Again? Two minutes. Again? Four.

If the card isn't currently activated, the magnetic stripe won't convey any data.

That way, I could send my brother in to the gas station to pick up drinks and pay for the gas while I remain outside in attendence.

Come to think of it, you could even program a generic card with the information of any of your normal credit/debit cards.

PINs are now the standard here (in Ireland)

There are a lot of good ideas here (picture on card, finger print, temporary card number, PIN, email for each transaction). The problem is implementation and the credit card issuers and card associations (VISA, MC) who could add these safety features are bogged down by corporate bureaucracy.

The good news is that for the card holder who has their card physically stolen, they should suffer no ill effects. Nowadays, most credit card companies offer a “no liability” policy for any fraudulent activity that occurs on the card. There is, however, a downside to this.

The credit card companies “zero fraud liability” policies provide the consumer with a false sense of security when the credit card is not physically stolen, but rather electronically stolen as a result of a hacker breaking into a merchant’s customer database. It is VERY common that a card holder opens up their monthly credit card statement only to find one, a few, or many charges they never made. If their personal information was stolen from a merchant the user has done business with, the thief has all they need to purchase goods or services from any online merchant as no physical card is required, just the credit card and card holder information. This is where the card holder experiences that false sense of security. What the card holder doesn’t realize at this point is that the thief now has enough information on them to steal their identity, and establish new credit accounts that the consumer never finds out about unless they happen to check their credit report. By that point, the damage has been done, the consumers identity has officially been stolen and it could take the victim months, or even years, to clear their name.

My company solves this problem by notifying card holders when their information may have become hacked from a merchant. This way, the card holder can take proactive steps towards protecting their identity, like contacting the Credit Bureaus and placing a “fraud alert” on their credit file which requires them to contact the card holder directly each time a credit inquiry is made or new credit account is about to be established.

in spain we have to show the DNI personal identification when u buy something with the credit card. th dni chas your photo, name ,adress, etc..

"Biometrics" is the buzzword. It includes fingerprints and iris identification; iris ID is probably more accurate than fingerprinting. Either could be coded and incorporated into a "smart" card.

Another idea is the personal ID chip, surgically implanted. These are commonly used in pets now, the procedure is safe and simple enough to be used in people- I would think first in convicted criminals (instead of ankle monitors, which are easily defeated), later in the public as a voluntary ID device. One's credit card could be coded such that the merchant would know the bearer of the card should be scanned for the ID chip.

Or do away with the card altogether, the implanted chip could perform that function.

Many of your ideas would just complicate the purchase with a credit card. Good for security, but as we know the best things are simple. Fingerprints etc of course would make cards more secure, but it's not that necessery. The benefits wouldn't outweigh the costs.

I like the Idea of finger prints. Not on the card but instead of the signature or along with the signature. We all have to give a finger print at the bank when cashing a check. This has reduced check fraud by over 40% in some areas. It would be up to the merchant to obtain and store the finger prints on the merchant copy of the recipt but it wouldn't be to hard to do. The ink pads are already being use and they are only a few dollars each. What thief would use a stolen card if he knew he would have to leave a finger print? This wouldn't help with online purchases but it would be a start.

As Mr Nalebuff mentioned, Citibak use to put a picture in the credit cards.. However after a while the bank reissued the cards for security reasons. It is better for the customer to hide his face, since Citibank is known as a bank for wealthy people.

My bake has done this with my Debit card, but people check it as much as they do the name. I use my wifes card that has her picture on it all the time.