A Code 10 authorisation request can be made by a merchant who is suspicious about the authenticity of your credit card. The phrase is used to avoid alerting the customer of the merchant's suspicions.

The merchant can call either their bank, the issuing bank or the authorization centre of the card payment system (e.g. Visa, MasterCard etc). When the operator answers, the merchant simply says 'I have a Code 10 authorization request'.

A special operator handles the call and will ask the merchant a series of yes/no questions (again, to avoid alerting the customer of the merchant's suspicions) and then provide instructions on how to proceed. The issuer may instruct the merchant to retain the card if it is safe to do so, but the merchant should never attempt to apprehend the customer.

Typically, Code 10 requests result in the issuer alerting law enforcement agencies to the suspected fraud. The MasterCard US website suggests contacting the U.S. Secret Service in the event of a confirmed Code 10!

Code 10 requests can be made for all transactions, including online, over the phone and in-person.

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