MỸ thay thế thẻ tín dụng trong mùa thu năm nay

Để chống lại kẻ gian đánh cắp hàng tỷ dollars mỗi năm, các ngân hàng Mỹ đang cho thay thế hàng chục triệu Thẻ ngân hàng (debit card) và Thẻ tín dụng (credit card), bằng kiểu mới có thêm computer chip (vi mạch điện tử) ngoài magnetic strip (băng từ).

Computer Chip nhìn thấy trên mặt trước của một credit card kiểu mới.

Kỹ thuật băng từ đã dùng từ 50 năm, và đến nay kẻ gian có thể tìm ra cách dễ dàng sao chép. Kết quả là theo tài liệu của Hiệp Hội Ngân Hàng Hoa Kỳ, năm 2012 các ngân hàng bị đánh cắp mất $1.74 tỷ. Kỹ thuật chip nhằm ngăn chặn sự sao chép. Chip sẽ tự động cho một mật mã trong mỗi lần chuyển tiền, mà dù cho kẻ gian có tìm ra mật mã này cũng không sử dụng được.

Từ hơn 10 năm trước, Âu Châu và nhiều nước khác trên thế giới đã dùng chip card, nhưng Hoa Kỳ hãy còn tiếp tục dùng magnetic card. Hậu quả là phân nửa những vụ gian lận Thẻ tín dụng xảy ra tại Hoa Kỳ, dù rằng chuyển khoản bằng thẻ chỉ chiếm 25% thế giới.

Các thẻ Bank of America đã bắt đầu được thay thế từ cuối năm ngoái, Chase và City bắt đầu vào mùa hè, và công ty phát hành Thẻ tín dụng Visa, MasterCard, American Express cũng đang tiến hành. Tới cuối năm nay tất cả các thẻ sẽ đều có computer chip.

Các thẻ mới đều có computer chip và magnetic strip. Không có khó khăn cho người sử dụng, nhưng cơ sở thương mại có thể chịu rủi ro nếu tới tháng Mười chưa có trang bị để đọc computer chip.

Với credit cards, thay vì cà thẻ (swipping) ở quầy trả tiền, phải đút thẻ vào khe của máy giống như thẻ ATM, và chờ mấy giây cho đến khi máy báo có thể rút thẻ ra.

Các Thẻ tín dụng ở Mỹ từ trước là loại “chip and sign”. Trong thực tế, chữ ký chỉ là cho có lệ, hầu như không bao giờ được kiểm tra so sánh. Vì vậy trong tương lai dùng Thẻ tín dụng đòi hỏi phải cho số PIN giống như thẻ ATM.

Sau ngày 1 tháng Mười, cơ sở thương mại nào chưa có trang bị để đọc chip vẫn có thể nhận tiền với magnetic strip. Nhưng nếu có mất mát gian lận, thì không phải khách hàng hay ngân hàng chịu trách nhiệm mà chính cơ sở thương mại bị mất. Vì vậy các Chuyên gia gọi việc đổi thẻ này là “sự chuyển trách nhiệm” (liability shift).

Do đó, các cơ sở thương mại phải chịu tốn tiền để trang bị máy mới và huấn luyện nhân viên bán hàng.

Why your new credit card is different than before

A big change is happening inside your wallet.

It's costly for both the card issuer and the stores who need the new terminals to read the cards.

U.S. banks, tired of spending billions each year to pay back fleeced consumers, are in the process of replacing tens of millions of old magnetic strip credit and debit cards with new cards equipped with computer chips that store account data more securely.

By autumn, millions of Americans will have made the switch from the old magnetic strip cards.

That 50-year-old technology, replaced in most of world, lingers on the back of U.S. cards and is easily copied by thieves, leaving people vulnerable to fraud. Roughly half of all credit card fraud happens in the United States even though the country only makes up roughly 25% of all credit card transactions, according to a Barclaysreport last week.

Chip-card security remains scarce in wallets

This entire switch is a massive undertaking. Roughly half of all U.S. credit and debit cards will be replaced by the end of the year. Tens of thousands of individual merchants need to upgrade their equipment to allow for chip transactions instead of "swipe-and-sign" ones.

If the stores aren't ready, they could be on the hook to cover the cost of fraud.

Here's how the new cards work and how the switch could affect you at the checkout counter:

What's different about these cards?

The biggest difference between your old card and your new one is the metal chip embedded on the front, which means your personal data is much safer.

The chip assigns a unique code for every transaction made on your card. Even if a thief acquired that code, it couldn't be used to make another purchase.

Chip or dip? Moving to chip-based cards no picnic

Chip cards are also harder to duplicate although it's not unheard of. Overall, the chip cards are more secure than magnetic cards, which are vulnerable because once thieves get a copy of your credit card information, it can be quickly copied onto counterfeit cards.

Chip cards have been common in Europe for more than decade, and they've been standard in other parts of the world for some time.

"The chip technology is designed to prevent copying of the card," said Ellen Richey, vice chairman of risk and public policy at Visa.

In the U.S, chip-embedded cards have seen limited use until now. For instance, Laundromats are one place chip-reading cards are being used.

Credit-card customers in Europe have used cards with with a computer chip for more than a decade.

When will I get one?

At this point, the majority of magnetic-stripe credit cards have been replaced with chip cards. Banks are in the middle of issuing chip-based debit cards.

Bank of America started late last year and Chase and Citi started this summer. Regional and smaller banks also are rolling out these cards to their customers, most of them starting later this year.

All chip cards also come with a magnetic strip in case chip readers aren't available. However, if a merchant does accept chip cards for purchases, you should use that option every time because it's more secure.

Who's behind the change?

The change mostly is coming from banks and payment processing companies — Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Banks have wanted a more secure form of payment because they have generally been on the hook for any fraud that happens on their cards.

Originally the banks were relying on their own software and data from the payment networks to catch fraud at the point of sale in the U.S., but it became clear something more was needed, Richey said. Banks, particularly small banks, often would pay out of pocket to cover any fraud that happened on their customers' payment cards.

The American Bankers Association estimated that bank account fraud cost the industry $1.74 billion in 2012, the most year the data is available.

Credit card switch to chips moves slowly

The payment networks have set a soft deadline of Oct. 1, 2015 for the switchover to be made. After that date, most merchants who continue to accept magnetic strip cards and have not upgraded their equipment could have to pay for any credit or debit card fraud that happens in their stores.

The "liability shift," as it's called, presents a looming deadline for the banks, payment companies and merchants.

How do I use the chip card?

Instead of swiping your card at the checkout, you'll insert it into a machine with a slot like those on ATMs. Your card will stay in the slot until the machine tells you to remove it.

Unlike magnetic strip cards, chip cards need to be left in the machine for a few seconds to work.

Where and when can I use my new chip card?

You can use it now. The problem is that merchants need the right equipment to accept the cards embedded with chips.

Many stores have been slow to upgrade their equipment despite the October deadline because it could be a significant expense to replace equipment and retrain employees. Payment processing companies like Visa and banks that issue the cards are pushing stores to accept the chip cards.

Visa expects roughly half of all merchants to have chip-card readers by the end of the year.

Is anything else changing?

The new cards won't work quite the same way they do in Europe, but they're a step closer. The type of card being rolled out in the U.S. still will need a signature when you pay for something.

Eventually, what will be used in the U.S.is what's used in the rest of the world, known as "chip and PIN." It would work similar to your ATM card now.

You would insert your card and enter a four-digit password to approve the transaction. Security experts believe this is a very safe way to pay for things. Signing for a credit card purchase provides near-zero security since signatures vary and are rarely checked.

What could go wrong in October?

Consumers have little to worry about. The biggest issue is for the merchants, who are way behind replacing their equipment in time for the deadline.

Ken Sweet