Businesses and consumers alike must both view transaction processing security involving credit card payments as a key priority. Recently, however, a Twitter account created in the spirit of sardonic commentary has exposed an alarming trend among less vigilant credit and debit card users - namely, posting pictures of those cards online and allowing the important information to be clearly visible.

According to Forbes, the Twitter page, simply called "Needadebitcard," tweets found images of social network users - largely from Instagram and Twitter - who appear to be unaware of or indifferent to the dangers of identity theft. In many cases, the card's number, cardholder name and expiration date are clearly visible to viewers.

The news source reports that a significant number of the users showcased on the site have since canceled their Twitter and Instagram accounts, and some have taken care to conceal some or all of the numbers. Despite this, due to the numerous methods now available to criminals engaged in identity theft, any portion of a card's number could potentially be exploited to commit an act of fraud.

Comments posted by other users on individual tweets featuring these images range from chastisement to concerned requests that the users cancel the pictured cards. The majority of those the Twitter account has exposed have not commented.