An Oregon woman garners online attention after her Citibank credit card is returned to her in an unusual condition. 

On April 21, Anna Stover posted a TikTok showing viewers what remains of her credit card. “Why did I give my credit card to the gas station attendant here in Oregon, and I got this back?” she asks.

The unusual experience in question is that the EMV chip is no longer in her credit card. “Have you seen this before? They took my whole […] chip,” says Stover. 

Stover did not clarify if the Chevron gas station attendant did this intentionally. However, many commenters were quick to suggest cancelling the card. “Cancel that card,” wrote one commenter.

“New fear unlocked,” wrote another. 

EMV Credit Card Chip: Why Is It Important?

The EMV chip is one of the most significant security features on modern credit cards. Unlike the old magnetic stripe on the back of a card, which stores static data that can potentially be copied, the chip contains a tiny microprocessor that creates a unique, one-time cryptographic code for each in-person transaction. That means even if someone intercepted transaction data, it generally cannot be reused to make a counterfeit card purchase. 

According to EMVCo, chip technology is used in billions of cards worldwide. It is designed to validate the authenticity of the card while helping reduce counterfeit, lost, and stolen card fraud. EMVCo also notes that over 90% of card-present transactions globally are chip-based.  

Merchants and banks rely on the chip to verify the card and exchange encrypted payment data with the terminal. Without the chip, many stores may reject the card entirely or require fallback methods such as swiping the magnetic stripe, which can trigger fraud alerts or be blocked by some issuers.  

If a chip is damaged or missing, the cardholder may experience declined purchases, ATM issues, or reduced fraud protection. In practice, most banks recommend replacing a compromised or physically altered card immediately. While the account itself may still be open, the physical card is no longer functioning as intended. 

EMV Chip: How Likely Is It to Fall Off? 

In ordinary use, it is not very likely that the EMV chip would suddenly fall off. The visible gold square on the front of the card is embedded in layers of plastic during manufacturing. Cards are designed to survive repeated insertion into readers, bending in wallets, temperature changes, and years of handling. 

While cards can crack, delaminate, or wear down over time, the chip itself cleanly detaching in one piece is relatively uncommon. More typical failures include the chip becoming unreadable, the plastic around it peeling, or the card splitting near the chip after heavy wear.  

A worker may have mistakenly tried to pry at a damaged chip, believing it was debris or a sticker, though that would be unusual. Someone might also remove it out of curiosity, vandalism, or a misunderstanding of how the card works. In more suspicious scenarios, tampering with a card could be an attempt to force the customer to use a magnetic stripe or another payment method, though simply removing the chip would not by itself grant access to the account. The actual chip contains secure data, but using it fraudulently is far more difficult than just possessing the metal contact module.  

Because the cause is unclear in situations like this, the safest move is to contact the card issuer immediately, freeze or replace the card, and review recent transactions. Even if it was an accident, a damaged chip usually means the card should be reissued. 

AllHipHop reached out to Stover for comment via TikTok direct message and email, and ENVCo via email. We will update this story if either party gets back to us.

@portlandandeugene well played tho ngl #creditcards #fypシ #fypシ゚viral #creditcard #scam ♬ original sound – Anna Stover