that is the data encoded on second card 30 does not include a valid or working credit card account number alternatively the encoded data may otherwise indicate that second card 30 is a decoy credit card carrying identity data to serve only as a security check and not as a typical account accessing transaction initiating means thus the authorized card user account owner is the only one who apparently knows which credit card serves as the identity data card 30 that is to be used second in succession with a qualifying first credit card 20 in another embodiment the identity date of the second card 30 may also include a digital image of the account owner authorized user a card reader 10 transmits this magnetically read digital image from second card 30 to an authentication server 80 for matching to the subject credit card account accessed by the first credit card 20 specifically authentication server 80 queries its datastore for the owner and authorized user of the subject credit card account as stored by authentication server 80 the authentication server 80 returns a stored digital image to a vendor the vendor visually inspects the returned visual image with a person using the second credit card 30 if the transmitted digital image from the second card 30 does not match the person using the second credit card 30 the vendor will not approve the transaction it is useful to note that a person should update the digital image corresponding to their second card 30 other pos terminals 15 of respective merchants.