Code 10 is the procedure in which a merchant calls the card's bank when it suspects the cardholder or suspects that the card itself is counterfeit, and the merchant's bank then contacts the card's bank to confirm the transaction.
If the merchant's staff believes the card may be counterfeit, or has doubts about the cardholder or the transaction, they should call the bank's contact numbers listed on the POS device and make the necessary notification.
When the merchant's staff calls the relevant bank department and says “I have a Code 10 message,” the bank staff will understand that this is a suspicious transaction.
The bank's staff will ask questions that can be answered with “Yes” or “No.” These questions are designed to determine, without the customer noticing, whether the card is being used legitimately. If the bank's staff identifies anything suspicious about the transaction, they will ask the merchant's staff not to complete the transaction. In that case, the goods should not be delivered and the transaction should be cancelled through the POS device.
If the necessary checks show that the person or the transaction is suspicious:
- Do not take any action that could endanger safety in any way, and do not attempt to physically detain these individuals.
- Try to gather as much information as possible about these individuals (physical characteristics, age, clothing, gender, vehicle license plate, etc.).
- Notify the nearest law enforcement authority in a way that does not endanger safety.
