Secure payment card transactions

A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a point-of-sale (POS) security layer that is configured to be installed on a POS terminal that runs a POS terminal application and that communicates with a POS server over a network, the POS security layer comprising executable instructions that cause the POS terminal to at least:

• intercept actual payment data received from a card entry device when a user initiates a payment card transaction, such that the actual payment data is not made available to the POS terminal application;
• pass false payment data to the POS terminal application for use in place of the actual payment data, such that the POS terminal application transmits the false payment data to the POS server in place of the actual payment data;
• and
• transmit the actual payment data to the POS server.

A method of securing payment transactions at a point of sale (POS), the method comprising:

• intercepting payment data on a POS terminal, the payment data comprising actual payment data from a payment medium;
• and
• providing false payment data to the POS terminal, the false payment data configured to be processed as if it were the actual payment data, such that the POS terminal transmits an authorization request using the false payment data in place of the actual payment data;
• wherein the false payment data is configured to be stored in a transaction database as log data and wherein no complete actual payment data is stored at the POS terminal.

A method of providing false payment data for use in place of actual payment data at a point of sale (POS) to inhibit the transmission of actual payment data over a non-secure channel, the method comprising:

• capturing payment data on a POS terminal, the payment data comprising actual card data from a payment card;
• generating false card data configured to be processed as if it were the actual card data, the false card data configured such that a Luhn modulus 10 test performed on the false card data determines that the false card data comprises an invalid payment card number;
• and
• providing the false card data to the POS terminal, such that the POS terminal transmits an authorization request to the POS server using the false card data in place of the actual card data.