Hologram
Definition
Diffractive optical security feature: Visa dove, Mastercard interlocking globes, RuPay tricolour. Hard to reproduce without specialised embossing equipment.
- Category
- Diffractive optical security feature
- Visa example
- Dove
- Mastercard example
- Interlocking globes
- RuPay example
- Tricolour
Common questions
Why are card holograms difficult for counterfeiters to reproduce accurately?+
Genuine holograms are embossed using specialised, tightly controlled equipment that produces precise diffraction patterns. Counterfeit versions typically show flatter colour shift, coarser detail, or an incorrect angle-dependent effect under examination.
How does an examiner check a hologram for authenticity?+
The card is tilted under raking light while the examiner observes the colour shift, image depth, and micro-detail against a known genuine exemplar of the same card scheme, looking for inconsistencies in registration or diffraction quality.
Related terms
- BIN / IIN
- Bank Identification Number, formally the Issuer Identification Number under ISO/IEC 7812. The first six digits of the PAN identify the issuing institution...
- CVV / CVC
- Card Verification Value (Visa) or Card Verification Code (Mastercard). CVV1 is encoded on the magnetic stripe, CVV2/CVC2 is the 3-digit printed code...
- Embossing
- Raised characters on older card fronts produced by an embosser; modern cards are increasingly flat-printed because POS imprinters are obsolete.
- EMV Chip
- Integrated-circuit chip following the EMV (Europay-Mastercard-Visa) specification. Contact interface per ISO/IEC 7816, contactless per ISO/IEC 14443. Generates dynamic cryptograms that defeat static-data...
- Magnetic Stripe
- Ferromagnetic strip on the card reverse encoding account data on three tracks per ISO/IEC 7811. Track 1 alphanumeric (79 chars), Track 2...
- NFC
- Near Field Communication, the 13.56 MHz contactless radio interface used for tap-to-pay. Built on ISO/IEC 14443 and underlies UPI Lite and RuPay...
- PVC Card Body
- Standard payment card construction: polyvinyl chloride core sandwiched between two transparent laminated overlays. Card dimensions 85.60 by 53.98 mm per ISO/IEC 7810...
- Shimmer
- Thin sliver-shaped device inserted inside the chip reader of an ATM or POS to intercept data exchanged with the EMV chip.
- Signature Panel
- White panel on the card reverse printed with a tamper-evident background (often the issuer name repeated or the word VOID appearing if...
- Skimmer
- Overlay device fitted on an ATM card slot or POS terminal that reads and stores the magnetic stripe data of cards swiped...
- Tokenisation
- RBI-mandated mechanism that replaces the PAN stored at merchants with a token usable only by that merchant, reducing the value of stolen...