Does anyone not know what this is? Popular until the late-1980s.

[–] • 17 pts

The original Credit Card skimmer. :D

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[–] • 4 pts

Lol! I hadn't considered that angle.

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[–] • 10 pts

Old school scammers would pick the trash for the carbon paper. We were taught to shred them. (I'm old too)

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[–] • 6 pts

Old school scammers would pick the trash for the carbon paper. We were taught to shred them. (I'm old too)

I used to ask for the carbon paper sheets when I had my card imprinted on these machines. I didn't want my card information ending up in the trash for anyone to collect. The clerks thought I was weird for asking for the carbons but it was worth the security.

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[–] • 2 pts

I thought that’s why they added the 3 digit, non embossed number on the back for telephone or online purchases. At a retail location you need the card. Online you need the embossed number and the flat one that doesn’t show up on the receipt.

Before that it must have been a bonanza for thieves. One high end store’s garbage bag full of receipts could pay for a lifetime of telephone orders.

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[–] • 1 pt

Wow I am that old too! I used to play with the one my parents had in their office.

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[–] • 5 pts

Kids have no idea how to use them. Hell: most 30 year olds don't know how either. The place I worked during Covid needed to use them twice when we lost Internet. They were fucking lost. It took myself and 2 other "old" managers to show them how they work.

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[–] • 4 pts

Small businesses were still using those into the late 90s. Most big businesses stopped around 95 iirc.

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[–] • 3 pts

My parents owned a 12 room motel when I was little. If my mom was at the front desk I was allowed to 'crunch' the credit cards. So much fun.

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[–] • 3 pts

A jew money printing machine, basically.

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[–] • 3 pts

2.5%-3% service charge on every transaction submitted by most vendors.

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[–] • 2 pts

When we were still a high trust society

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[–] • 1 pt

I did a little retail work back during my high school years.

And as other comments pointed out, I remember some customers requesting their carbons as well.

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[–] • 1 pt

Think of this when the power or internet is down at your favorite gas station or shopping center and they claim they are limited to cash only sales.

All of my cards are flat with no raised digits on them. A credit card imprinter machine is worthless without raised digits on the front center of the card. My cards are not only flat, but the numbers are on the reverse side and in different locations with one being in portrait orientation rather than landscape. Totally not going to work in this machine.

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[–] • 3 pts

They're flat because these things have all but vanished and there's no need anymore. Embossing cards like that requires more effort than just printing the numbers on a flat surface.