Signing the back of a credit card...double-edged sword? (1 Viewer)

[Aaron Reynolds]

Apples/oranges. Small businesses that compete in price or even match prices with big box stores have to do it at much smaller margins: they do not get the same volume discounts from suppliers and do not get the same credit card discount rates. I've had to fight to only have 1.75% of every sale taken as the fee for Visa, but I have friends running chain stores that report much better rates. With a lower margin, fraud hurts more.

At any rate, this line of discussion is merely a tangent. It all boils down to one person protecting their livelihood vs. another protecting their identity.

 

[AjayM]

Both are very valid points, but it still does not change the fact that if a business asks for ID on a regular CC purchase that business is in violation, not the consumer. The business knowingly and willingly signed that agreement, done deal, complaining about a customer who is rightfully looking out for their own rights because a business owner can't follow a contract he signed is rather silly.

Andrew

 

[BobV]

Can we stop with the asinine comparisons?

And with that, I bid a fine adieu.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

iPod transaction. Wore tacky suits too.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Balony. Anyone who is afraid that some kid taking a 3 second cursory glance at you photo ID to match a face and a name is getting their identity stolen is delusional. There are far better ways to steal a person's identity that are faster and more reliable. The internet has made it extremely easy to get details about a person they never even knew existed. As for the multi-thousand dollar charges, that could be stopped dead with one ID check.

 

[AjayM]

Yea...I guess the kid is going to be able to do a complete handwriting analysis in those 3 cursory glance seconds, but the possibility of them actually remembering any information off the ID is impossible. Of course ignoring how identity theft works sure does make your arguement work better, it's just to bad that an ID check against an identity theif would do absolutely nothing in 99.9% of the cases.

Andrew

 

[PeterK]

This is abit off topic, but, can a merchant cut up someones credit card if it doesn't "go through" or they seriously suspect it is not that persons card? I've seen it in movies and was just wondering if that really happens?

Also, what's with places like rat shack that want a phone # and address when you buy stuff with cash. I went to buy some speaker wire once and they wanted my # ? WTF? are they going to call me to make sure I am satified with their wire?

 

[Leila Dougan]

Peter, cashiers that encounter specific suspicious activity are supposed to call a special toll-free number run by the CC company. The call can be placed in front of the customer under the guise of "verification" and the person who answers the phone is trained to ask questions such that the cashier's answers won't give anything away to the customer. They may have the cashier cut up the card, if they feel the situation warrants it.

 

[Aaron Reynolds]

I've had two fun messages come up on my Visa terminal:

HOLD CARD - CALL BANK

and

DESTROY CARD - CALL BANK

In the first instance, I called in and they asked me to delay the customer, if possible -- to tell them that there was a problem at Visa's end and that it would be rectified soon. After about ten minutes the police showed up.

In the second instance, the customer could see the display of the terminal and ran out of the store, leaving the card behind.

Both of these were over a decade ago.

When I'm asked for an address or phone number, I'll give one out if it's a store that I'm at often (though I'll give them my work address and number). If it's a store that I'll probably never come to again, or only come to once a year, I will give a very obvious fake address with the utmost sincerity just to see how the clerk deals with it. Most happily enter it into the computer.

When doing this, I usually use

John Robert Goatse
123 Fake Street
Falseton, Ontario
L5L 1T4

Though around the holidays I'll use the address that Canada Post gives out for letters to Santa Claus (the postal code kills me: H0H 0H0) and say my name is Nicholas.

One time a clerk looked up, really horrified, when I gave John Robert Goatse as my name, so I said "Perhaps you've seen my website". He didn't make eye contact with me after that.

 

[BobV]

Just as a point of info... my store just went through the process of changing our credit card/debit processing and I just received my Visa Merchant Agreement and stuff... interesting line....

'1.9 (a) You agree not to request additional identification or information from a person who presents a Card, unless it is reasonably necessary to complete the Transaction or if you reasonably find the circumstances of the Transaction questionable'

That's good enough for me. If I feel uncomfortable about the transaction, like something is a bit fishy, or could be, I can ask for additional ID and feel that I am safely within the scope of the agreement and not breaking any rules.

Also, as an aside, this last Thursday, the police were finally able to arrest the individuals who defrauded my store last summer (by credit card) to the tune of near $5000. How were they able to find them? The ID that I took. Three other stores were hit, but the information that I had (stolen Driver's license numbers and stolen vehicle insurance) was the only thing that the RCMP had to go on, but it was enough to lead them the right direction.

 

[Matt Stryker]

My humorous story related to this happened last month right after I moved down here to Mexico...I had written Ask For ID on the back on my card, and after the office depot clerk had rang everything up, she swiped my card and gave me the receipt. I gave her my ID, signed my name, and thought that was the end of it. She was confused, called over the supervisor. I explained to her in spanish what "Ask for ID" meant, she nodded, and then asked me to sign again. Finally, I realized that she just wanted it to look like the back of the card, so I just wrote Ask for ID on the signature line....she was overjoyed, gave me my receipt and we walked out .