# Risk Rules and Card Checks

Learn how to verify cardholder details to mitigate fraud.

When a payment is submitted to card issuers for authorization, Finix submits the included billing address and Card Verification Code (also referred to as CVC/CVV) data to card issuers to verify this information against the information the card issuer has on file for the cardholder.

- For the `address verification` check (also referred to as AVS), the card issuer verifies if the postal code and billing address submitted by Finix matches what the card issuer has on file for the cardholder.
- For the `card verification code` (CVC/CVV) check, the card issuer verifies if the security code submitted by Finix in the authorization or sale matches what the card issuer has on file for the cardholder.


Finix uses these checks (also called *Risk Rules*) and the data returned from card issuers to review and decline transactions that Finix is unable to verify successfully.

Including an `address` when tokenizing a card can lower interchange on credit card transactions.

## Review Verification Checks

To review an Address or Card Verification Code check, first [create a $0 `Authorization`](/api/authorizations/getauthorization) and then [fetch the `Payment Instrument`](/api/payment-instruments/getpaymentinstrument) that was used in the `Authorization`. The results of the Address and Card Verification Code check are available under the following fields:

- `address_verification`
- `security_code_verification`


For info on how to tokenize a card, see:

- [Using Tokenization Forms](/guides/online-payments/payment-tokenization/tokenization-forms)
- [Payment Instruments](/api/payment-instruments/createpaymentinstrument)


## Address Verification (AVS) Checks

| `address_verification` | Description | Transfer Result |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| `POSTAL_CODE_AND_STREET_MATCH` | `postal_code` and `address` match. Includes International cards. | `SUCCEEDED` |
| `POSTAL_CODE_MATCH` | `postal_code` matches, `address` doesn’t match or isn’t verified. | `SUCCEEDED` |
| `STREET_MATCH` | `address` matches, `postal_code` doesn’t match. | `SUCCEEDED` |
| `NO_MATCH` | `address` and `postal_code` don’t match. | `FAILED` |
| `NOT_SUPPORTED` | Address Verification isn’t supported by the card issuer. | `SUCCEEDED` |
| `NO_ADDRESS` | Address unavailable. | `SUCCEEDED` |
| `UNKNOWN` | General error from the card issuer or processor. Address Verification check not performed. | `SUCCEEDED` |


## Card Verification Code (CVC/CVV) Checks

For newly tokenized cards, Card Verification Code is required. You can pass in Card Verification Code with `security_code`.

Finix reserves the right to modify Card Verification Check rules.

| `security_code_verification` | Description | Transfer Result |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| `MATCHED` | Match | `SUCCEEDED` |
| `UNMATCHED` | No Match | `FAILED` |
| `UNKNOWN` | This code can come up due to the card issuer, Card Verification Code verification system, or when Card Verification Code isn’t provided. | `SUCCEEDED` |