Fri, January 10, 2025 at 2:41 AM UTC If you’ve ever purchased anything online or over the phone and paid with a credit card, you more likely than not have been asked for your card’s security code.

Jason Fernando is a professional investor and writer who enjoys tackling and communicating complex business and financial problems. Toby Walters is a financial writer, investor, and lifelong learner.

Credit card fraud is the most common form of identity theft, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The four major credit card networks — Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover — ...