Card Testing: Definition, Signals, and Controls

Our Cards

Choose from any of our gift cards to give to your loved ones

giftcardimage

Where to Use?

Redeem your gift cards at any of our Merchants

Where to Buy?

You can purchase a gift card from any of these locations

ABOUT US

about

What is ONYX GiftCards?

Onyx Gift Cards is a Grenadian company designed to introduce, market and manage gift cards systems in Grenada for retailers and corporations. We are enthusiastic about the effect and influence we will have on the local market. We intend to expand our systems regionally with a range of product offerings and services.

What is a Gift Card?

Gift cards are the preferred way of giving and receiving gifts. They carry a monetary value that can be redeemed for gifts at your favorite store.
Onyx GiftCards are “Open Gift Cards” which means that they can be redeemed at multiple merchant locations. They are standard credit card size, can fit into the average wallet and made of PVC plastic. Onyx GiftCards are Barcoded for security and safety for the consumer and bear a disclaimer at the back.
Onyx Giftcards can be bought with a branded Card backer which is black in colour and is designed to fit the card. There is an area to write a brief message to the recipient as well.

How it Works?

  • Buy an Onyx Gift Card at these local stores
  • Give your gift card to friends, family, co-workers, etc.
  • The recipient can shop at our select merchants nationwide
  • Your friends, family, co-workers, etc. will present their gift card at checkout to pay for your item(s)
  • They will walk away happy with the best gift ever...the gift of Choice

Why ONYX GiftCards?

  • Save TIME. No need to run around looking for the perfect gift
  • Redeem from a variety of business island-wide. We will continue adding businesses as fast as ONYX grows.
  • ONYX Gift Cards do not expire
  • Cards are valued at convinient amounts to meet every need and occasion

Card testing definition

Card testing is a fraud method. A criminal submits a payment authorization on a card number to learn if the number works. One number gives one answer, so the criminal submits many authorizations across many numbers. The goal is a list of live cards. Each live card then gets used for a purchase or sold.

How the requests reach a merchant

Card testers target merchants with weak checkout controls. Common entry points:

The first charges are small. Amounts of $0.00 to $1.00 cut the chance that a cardholder notices. A batch of these charges shows up on a merchant statement as dozens or hundreds of low-value transactions.

Signals in transaction data

Cost to a merchant

Each declined authorization carries an interchange or processor fee in many contracts. Chargebacks add a fee plus the transaction amount. A processor can place a merchant in a monitoring program, hold reserves, or close the account. Visa and Mastercard publish guidance on account enumeration and card testing, and both push acquirers to act on merchant-level fraud rates.

Controls that work

  1. Rate limits on the checkout and payment API, counted by IP, device, card BIN, and email.
  2. CAPTCHA or a bot check on guest checkout and donation forms.
  3. Address Verification Service and CVV checks, with a rule to decline on mismatch.
  4. 3-D Secure on card-not-present transactions. The issuer sees the request and can decline or challenge.
  5. Velocity rules: a cap on attempts per card, per device, and per hour.
  6. Alerts on decline-rate spikes and on batches of low-value authorizations.
  7. Logging of payment page scripts. PCI DSS v4.0 requires controls on scripts that run on payment pages.

Cardholder steps

Review statements for charges under $2.00. Report unknown charges to the issuer. Ask for a new card number if the old one appears in a batch. A new number stops further use of the compromised card.

Legal status in the US

Card testing and the sale of card data fall under 18 U.S.C. § 1029, which covers fraud and related activity in connection with access devices. Penalties reach 10 years for a first offense and 15 years for certain repeat or aggravated offenses, plus fines. Cases can also be charged as wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1343. Buying or selling CVV data is not a legal gray area. It is a federal crime.

Contact Us

Latest

Buy CVV: A Comprehensive Buying Guide

Discover the ins and outs of purchasing CVVs with our expert buying guide. Learn the essentials, avoid common pitfalls, and get answers to frequently asked questions.

Buying Guide: Exchange CVV Dumps for Cash

Discover the ins and outs of exchanging CVV dumps for cash, including essential tips, what to look for, pitfalls to avoid, and a FAQ section to help you navigate this complex market safely.

Read our complete guide: Should You Buy CVV From a Card Shop? The Honest Buyer's Guide