Abstract: The “Personal Account Protection System” allows the use of personal identification numbers (PIN)s on magnetized monetary transaction cards without allowing those (PIN)s to leave the checkout counter card-swipe/keypad unit. Also, the (PIN)s are ERASED from the units themselves when the transactions are complete. In other words, the (PIN)s never follow the final transaction. If a card is lost or stolen, it is essentially worthless to anyone else. The system should save card issuers and users millions of dollars lost per year.

Abstract: A security system for a transaction card having a magnetized strip, protection icon, account number, name, and expiration date displayed visually on an external portion of the card is provided. The protection icon is adjacent the account number. A personal identification number has at least three characters and is recorded on the magnetized strip along with the personal identification number, account number, name, and expiration date. The protection icon is adapted to activate a digital lock in the computerized terminal that disables any transfer of the account number, name, and expiration date if one or more characters of the personal identification number are present in the display. A processor is disposed inside the computerized terminal and is adapted to delete each of the characters of the uploaded personal identification number from the computerized terminal and each symbol from the display.