ON-LINE CARD ™ Questions & Answers

Shall I keep ON-LINE CARD Number secret? - NO !

NO! Your ON-LINE CARD Number alone doesn't give anybody an option to withdraw money from card without your express permission! You always authorize the transaction with your PIN (Personal Identification Number) when a Merchant requests a payment. ON-LINE CARD Number is your 'identifier' in your relationship with Card Issuer and online Merchants, it isn't secret and doesn't need to be kept in secrecy; you may identify yourself by your ON-LINE CARD Number when you are contacting card issuer, Merchant or their support services.

Why? Because ON-LINE CARD (sm) Service utilizes innovative authentication and payment security protocols, different from those used by conventional credit card companies. These protocols involve additional security mechanizms, based on advanced encryption standards.

Are CVC, PIN and PUK secret? - YES !

Yes! Contrary to your ON-LINE CARD Number, CVC (Card Verification Code), PIN (Personal Identification Number), PUK (Personal Unblocking Key) and most importantly - the 'card file' (any file generated by software, having *.olc extension, stored in 'My Documents/ON-LINE CARD' directory) - must be kept in secrecy and never revealed to anybody!

Is the 'Card File' (*.olc) secret? - YES!

Yes! 'Card File' (any file generated by software, having *.olc extension, stored in 'My Documents/ON-LINE CARD' directory) and PUK code comprise the most important part of the secrets in your posession! Please backup all *.olc files to removable media (disk, SD-Card or other) and keep them in secure place where you keep other sensitive financial and personal information and documents; always keep a hard-copy of your Personal Unblocking Key (PUK) and *DO NOT* keep it in a text file on the same computer with ON-LINE CARD (tm) application!

Note: 'Card File' contains unique cryptographic material, generated by ON-LINE CARD (tm) Software and is a part of this software, it is your obligation according to the License Agreement to keep this file safe and not to delete it. You may think of this file as of a 'Magnetic Stripe' of conventional card, - sure the card would become invalid if you removed the stripe from it!

What is this PUK code for? – Explanation:

Personal Unblocking Key or PUK is one of your ON-LINE CARD ™ secret attributes, perhaps even the most secret one! Along with the ‘Card File’ it gives access to your personal data for modification and helps you to unblock the card in case it was blocked or to claim a replacement card after the expiration date. Please be most cautious about how you handle PUK after it has been issued to you, never store it in data files on your computer, keep it in a hard copy form!

See, how to use PUK for unblocking your card in "How do I ‘unblock’ my ON-LINE CARD ™ ?" section.

What do I do to minimize the risks?

Here are the basic recommendations, which are absolutely necessary to follow regardless whether you are using ON-LINE CARD (tm) Service and Software or not:

1. Never open any e-mails with attachments from senders you do not know;

2. Never download or launch software from any vendors whom you do not trust explicitly;

3. Never keep passwords or other secret codes on a stickers, attached to your computer...

We recommend you, as a client of ON-LINE CARD Service to remember the following:

1. You have these secrets in your posession: CVC (Card Verification Code), PIN (Personal Identification Number), PUK (Personal Unblocking Key), Card Files (every and all file(s) with *.olc extension in 'My Documents/ON-LINE CARD' directory). You must retain full control over these secrets at any time, provide backup and maintain control over all backup files. You must never reveal these secrets to anybody willingly or unwillingly.

2. We strongly recommend you to make a hard copy of all secret codes during the enrollment procedure by switching your printer on and clicking the button 'Print Out' on any screen having such button before leaving the screen.

3. We strongly recommend you not to grant access to your computer under your user name to anybody, whom you do not explicitly trust; in particular when ON-LINE CARD (tm) application has been succesfully launched and is still running.

4. Report any case of card suspension if you know that you have not been using it for some time and it wasn't suspended because of your fault to provide right CVC or PIN. If the card has been suspended because you have entered a wrong CVC or PIN several times - re-activate it by launching the replacement procedure and submitting PUK (Personal Unblocking Key) when prompted. You will be issued a new set of  'Card File', CVC, PIN, PUK - please do not forget to print out this information and back-up the 'Card File' to removable media.

Should I keep ON-LINE CARD Number secret?

NO! Your ON-LINE CARD Number alone doesn't give anybody the ability to withdraw money from your card without your express permission! Transactions must always be authorized with your PIN (Personal Identification Number) when a Merchant requests a payment. ON-LINE CARD Number is your 'identifier' in your relationship with Card Issuer and online Merchants, it isn't secret and it doesn't need to be kept in secrecy; you may identify yourself with your ON-LINE CARD Number when you are contacting the card issuer, a Merchant or their support services.

Why? Because ON-LINE CARD (sm) Service utilizes innovative authentication and payment security protocols, different from those used by conventional credit card companies. These protocols involve additional security mechanisms, based on advanced encryption standards.

Are my CVC, PIN and PUK secret?

Yes! Unlike your ON-LINE CARD Number, CVC (Card Verification Code), PIN (Personal Identification Number), PUK (Personal Unblocking Key) and most importantly - the 'card file' (any file generated by software, having *.olc extension, stored in the 'My Documents/ON-LINE CARD' directory) - must be kept secret and never be revealed to anybody!

Is the 'Card File' (*.olc) a secret?

Yes! The 'Card File' (any file generated by software, having *.olc extension, stored in 'My Documents/ON-LINE CARD' directory) and the PUK code comprise the most important secrets in your posession! Please backup all *.olc files to removable media (disk, SD-Card or other) and keep them in a secure place where you keep other sensitive financial and personal information and documents; always keep a hard-copy of your Personal Unblocking Key (PUK) and *DO NOT* keep it in a text file on the same computer with the ON-LINE CARD (tm) application!

Note: The 'Card File' contains unique cryptographic material, generated by ON-LINE CARD (tm) Software and is a part of this software, it is your obligation according to the License Agreement to keep this file safe and NOT to delete it. You can think of this file like the magnetic stripe on a conventional plastic card, - your card would instantly be ruined if you removed the stripe from it!

What is the PUK code for?

The Personal Unblocking Key or PUK is one of your ON-LINE CARD's™ secret attributes, perhaps even the most secret attribute of all Along with the ‘Card File’ it gives access to your personal data, helps you to unblock the card in case it was blocked, lets you claim a replacement card after the expiration date. Please be most cautious about how you handle the PUK after it has been issued to you, never store it in data files on your computer, keep it only in a hard copy form!

See how to use PUK for unblocking your card in our: "How do I ‘unblock’ my ON-LINE CARD ™ ?" section.

What do I do to minimize security risks?

Here are the basic recommendations, which are absolutely necessary to follow regardless whether you are using ON-LINE CARD (tm) Service and Software or not:

1. Never open any e-mails with attachments from senders you do not know;

2. Never download or launch software from any vendors whom you do not trust explicitly;

3. Never keep passwords or other secret codes on stickers, attached to your computer...

Clients of the ON-LINE CARD Service should please remember the following:

1. You have these secrets in your posession: CVC (Card Verification Code), PIN (Personal Identification Number), PUK (Personal Unblocking Key), Card Files (every and all file(s) with *.olc extension in 'My Documents/ON-LINE CARD' directory). You must retain full control over these secrets at all times, provide backups and maintain control over all backup files. You must never reveal these secrets to anybody, willingly or unwillingly.

2. We strongly recommend you to make a hard copy of all secret codes during the enrollment procedure by switching your printer on and clicking the 'Print Out' button on any screen having such a button before leaving the screen.

3. We strongly recommend you not to grant access to your computer under your user name to anybody, whom you do not explicitly trust; particularly when the ON-LINE CARD (tm) application has been succesfully launched and is still running.

4. Report any case of card suspension unless you know that you have not been using the card for some time and/or it wasn't suspended because of your fault to provide the right CVC or PIN. If the card has been suspended because you have entered a wrong CVC or PIN several times - you can re-activate it by launching the replacement procedure and submitting PUK (Personal Unblocking Key) when prompted. You will be issued a new set of  'Card File', CVC, PIN, PUK - again, please do not forget to print out this information and back-up the 'Card File' to removable media.

5. Remember that security is a process and a mindset, so keep learning and thinking.