Writing “Ask For ID” on the back of your credit card isn’t an unimpeachable guarantee of security, but it could be the last line of defense between you and a fraudulent charge. Invoking perilously flawed logic, the Boston Globe argues: “the cardholder gains nothing by not signing the card or writing in ‘See ID’ on the signature panel.” Let’s dismantle this nonsense piece by piece.
First up:
I believe all credit card companies print “not valid unless signed” on the back of the cards they issue. The credit agreement is with the credit card company, so why would someone think they can circumvent this requirement? Many say they are protecting themselves against fraud.[...]
Technically, cards must be signed with the holders’ names, according to both Visa Inc. and MasterCard International Inc., the two largest payment networks, and cards with “See ID” or “Ask for ID” written on the back are not a valid substitute.
First flaw: though your cardholder agreement requires you to sign your card, there is nothing to stop you from signing your name and writing “Ask for ID.”
Next up:
Some customers may think writing the terms on the panel on the back of the cards would deter fraud or forgery. But Visa’s rules for merchants say that “In reality, criminals don’t take the time to practice signatures: They use cards as quickly as possible after a theft and prior to the accounts being blocked. They are actually counting on you not to look at the back of the card and compare signatures – they may even have access to counterfeit identification with a signature in their own handwriting.”
Second flaw: the deterrence factor doesn’t need to apply to criminals. “Ask for ID” is a command to the cashier that if followed, prevents fraud.
Some readers don’t like showing identification, which is fine. Nothing in the cardholder agreement forces you to take out your driver’s license.
“Ask for ID” appears on our card next to our signature. Few people ask for ID. The ones that do, though, almost always ask when we’re making a large purchase, the kind we don’t want surprising us on our credit card statement.
It doesn’t relieve us from protecting our card from misuse, but those three simple words make an excellent last line of defense.
What do you think? Annoying invasion of privacy, pointless distraction, or essential safeguard? Duke it out in the comments.
‘See ID’ phrase on back of credit cards doesn’t deter fraud [Boston Globe]
(Photo: Getty)
More From Consumerist
-
Using A Fake ID Probably Won’t Work If It’s The One You (Allegedly) Stole From The Waitress
-
So You Think You’re The Victim Of Identity Theft… Now What?
-
What Information Can Retailers Store When They Scan Your ID For Returns?
-
Find Out What Info Retailers Have Been Tracking On Your Returned Purchases
-
CVS Pharmacy Tech Makes Up Laws, Demands Photo ID For Prescription Dropoff
you should sign it and then add “ask for id” since if the card is not signed, anyone who finds your card can sign it themselves and suplicate the signature if anyone actually even checks. the best thing they could do is implement pin numbers for credit cards juts like debit cards. as far as no being required to show id, i have had plenty of instances (especially in high tourists areas) where they have required id for the purchase and i was happy they did. i dont understand why people dont like showing id when it is for their security, its not like they are photocopying your id, they are checking your name and picture, when i worked at a bank people would be so anal about showing id.
@Skellbasher: I used my “Please see ID” and signed card at the USPS twice last week. Smooth as silk, the worker asked to see my ID, I had it out, and I walked away with a receipt for my packages. I also use it in government offices that take plastic, such as my local county office where I license my vehicle every year.
I think that the ID thing is dependent, as is pretty much any other widely distributed practice, upon human comfort level.
I have found that during the holidays, I get an almost 100% ID request from clerks. The rest of the year – around 50% or so. This could be regional practice, too…
The card companies should do what they do in Norway for example and put your picture on the back of the card. No invasion of privacy as it gives no more details than your picture and name but it allows a merchant to see that it is your card.
This is why I’ve mostly stopped reading Consumerist on the weekends… It seems like everything that’s posted then is trash.
I have “Ask for ID” on the back of my cards, but I increasingly believe that it’s a waste. No one ever asks me for my ID and I dunno why; I wrote it on there, so obviously I don’t mind if you ask me for it.
One time, however, I was in a liquor store and they asked for my ID for the age check. After he handed it back to me, I handed him my credit card and upon seeing “Ask for ID,” he asked for my ID again. Now that is potentially unnecessary.
I don’t know how many times I have to say this, but the signature means absolutely NOTHING to a credit card merchant, except for in extreme cases. There are many other factors that merchants go by such as card present or account lookup or presale, ETC. Signatures are only a method to make consumers feel like they have a sense of security.
Putting “Ask for ID” on your signature line is as effective as putting “Please do not use this if stolen”. Cashier is, generally, a lower paid job and people’s attentiveness to their duty tends to correlate to their salary.
I spent over $1000 in a Bestbuy on an unsigned credit card and I wasn’t asked for ID. I even joked about I was surprised that the card worked since it was shutdown earlier that week for fradulant transactions. Later that day, I went to a craft store and spent $10 with the same card but was asked for ID.
Bottom line for me, when I get a new card it tells me to immediately sign the back. If there’s ever a problem, I’ve done as the cc company has told me to do so any resulting issues it’s their problem. I had my identity stolen in 1996, before it was fashionable and before there was all this “help” available. I realized then there is only so much you can do to protect yourself. The best thing you can do, is follow the instructions of your cc provider, etc. They can’t give you any lip if you’ve played by their rules!
Sign the card, and then put “ASK FOR ID” next to it. That’s the best thing you can do, and you’ll be lucky if 10% of the stores you visit ask for your ID.
I’ve worked in retail part time for the past few years. We upgraded to the “customer swipes it themself” system about a year ago, so now the onus is on the customer.
If your credit card is stolen, it’s not the cashier’s responsibility to find that out for you. Keep all the 1-800 numbers for your credit card companies in your cell phone and at home or work so that you can contact them if your wallet or purse is stolen.
Safeguard your belongings, and be aware of your surroundings. Shred documents you don’t need that contain sensitive data, and keep the rest in a secure location, such as a fireproof safe mounted to the foundation of your house or in your safety deposit box.
The thing is, just writing See ID on your card does not make it valid. At Toys R Us, we’re told to never accept those cards at all, unless they’re signed, and we cannot allow the purchase to go through even if the person signs it in front of us unless they provide us with ID.
It’s pretty simple… The card MUST be signed. It’s part of the user agreement between the card hold and the issuing company, and it’s part of the retail agreement between the issuing companies and retailers who choose to process those cards. I’ve personally sent off a lot of angry people who refuse to sign “for security purposes”, despite explaining to them that not signing their card leaves it exposed to anyone else’s signature, and as far as the retailer can tell, if a thief’s signature matches the one on the back of the card, our responsibility ends there. The cardholder is then responsible for all fraudulent charges, and should the card be retrieved with a signature that does not match their own on it, they are responsible for 100% of all fraudulent charges on it.
Sure, ADDING “See ID” to the card alongside a signature doesn’t hurt, but unfortunately, in the two years I’ve had it on my card, I haven’t been asked for it once. Unfortunately, there just aren’t enough reliable cashiers out there, and I personally feel it’s Visa/MC/Amex’s faults for not implementing a PIN system. The idea of nothing but a signature being a valid form of confirmation and security is ridiculous.
i sign my cards with my real signature, and i sign the slips with the same signature. when a cashier asks me for my id i give it to them. i don’t belong here.
Continuing what Syrenia said:
* The card needs to be signed or it is not valid.
* Writing “See ID” or some variant is not the same as signing your card p29 of the rules for Visa merchants.
* Adding “See ID” means you have to add that to your signature according to p28 of the Visa merchant guidelines
* Some places will refuse an unsigned card; others will follow procedures like those described on p29 of the rules for Visa merchants
* Carefully examine the monthly statement before you pay it.
* Your liability for fradulent credit card transactions are limited to $50
* Your liability for fradulent debit card transactions are $50 within 48 hours; $500 after 48 hours; after 48 hours, potentially 100% of your balance.
Adding “See ID” or any of its variants is a poor piece of advice because it:
* Lulls people in to a false sense of security
* Messes up a complicated contract between VISA and merchants with respect to card acceptance policies and procedures
I’ve worked for Wal-Mart and Home Depot before as a cashier, not to mention a few gas stations. A few things to remember here: cashiers are generally paid a crappy wage, and deal with crappy people all day long. They simply want to get done with their shift as quickly and easily as possible and why shouldn’t they? They are getting paid minimum wage in most places.
Also, if it turns out a card IS stolen, the STORE is the one out the money, not the cashier, so why should the cashier care? Simply put, it’s not the cashier’s problem.
And finally, the reason why I never compared signatures or checked IDs when I was a cashier was because if a customer objected, they would get pissed and ask for a manager. Then the manager would come over, ask what the problem was, and tell me to accept the card anyway, overriding company policy and making me look like a jackass for doing my job properly and following company policy. It was simply way more bullshit than any minimum wage worker should have to deal with.
The faster the customer gets their purchase and gets out of the store, the happier the customer is. And the less time the cashier has to spend on a customer, the happier the cashier is. Win win for both parties.
Retail sucks. Shop online.
shame on you, consumerist.
the credit card agreement explicitly states that a card is not valid unless it is signed. while some retailers might accept them with “see id,” you are still telling us to break the agreement. i think i read that on this site, too.
Doesn’t showing your id to a cashier put you at risk for identity theft?
@BugMeNot2: Read the OP again, consumerist isn’t saying don’t sign your card, they’re saying write “see id” on the back. You can do both, you know.
@BugMeNot2: Once again, when a consumer requests an ID check on the back of their card, that should be their (the consumer’s) prerogative. If that request is not on the card, then retailers should not demand ID as a condition of sale. I see no conflict here, it’s about – you know – giving the consumer what they want, hence “consumerist”.
C’mon, it’s not that complicated folks.
The consumerist writers need to make up their minds. A few months ago they taught us that writing “Ask For ID” on your credit card was a lose-lose situation. According to merchant agreements with Visa and MC merchants cannot accept an unsigned card, including one that reads “Ask For ID”. Merchants also cannot refuse a transaction if you refuse to show ID. Heck, merchants might end up on consumerist just for ASKING for ID in the first place. Now they say it’s a good idea. This is ridiculous.
Here’s a good case study…
@hejustlaughs: So showing your ID is more of a hassle compared to, say, disputing the charges that come up if your CC is stolen and not having that CC for a period of time?
Exactly what I wanted to say. Merchants can’t refuse the transaction if you say you don’t want to show an ID.@JasonKeiderling:
I don’t know if anyone has mentioned or thought of it, but there’s barely enough room to write a signature, let alone also writing “see id”. Theres just not enough space on the little strip provided to fit all that in.
@petrarch1608, Skellbasher, Matthew Hughes, BugMeNot2, Hejustlaughs: Please make a small effort to read the post before rushing to comment. There is a world of difference between a merchant violating the cardholder agreement by demanding to see identification, and a consumer trying to extract an added measure of protection by asking retailers to verify identification. The former, as we’ve repeatedly pointed out, is not ok, but consumers can and should do everything in their power to protect themselves.
As I wrote in the post, adding “Ask for ID” is optional, and does not in any way replace a signature. This does not conflict with our previous advice.
If you don’t want someone asking for your identification, then don’t write “Ask for ID!” If you want a quick, free way to toss an extra hurdle between a thief and your card, then by all means, whip out the pen and add “Ask for ID” next to your signature.
Still a good idea but when a credit card is stolen, many times the whole purse or wallet was also taken.
Cashiers that verify credit cards usually just look to see that the names on the ID amd credit card are the same. Rarely they look at the picture.
See ID at one time had some validity IMO, but since we can now use a credit card in multiple places without ever having the merchant see the card, what difference does it make. Also used to be the clerks responsibility if it was fraud—right out of their minimum wage paycheck for not checking. Same as writing a bad check.
So, on/off topic but relevant? Most restaurants bring your bill and ask you to leave your credit card in their little ‘wallet.” They then collect the wallet and take it to the register to ring up the sale, returning it to you for signature. In that short time they are capable of getting all the information from your card—including the 3-digit ID number on the back. I even read where there is some kind of gadget that is palm size that can be used to quickly “swipe” the card and they now have everything they need.
If you use your CC to make online or phone purchases, all they need are the numbers—no verification process. And what about places that now allow you to swipe your CC and accept them without a PIN?
Lastly, how many of you sign the receipt at a restaurant and leave the receipt on the table for the waitstaff to collect after you leave? Were I a crook, I’d sit and watch and scoop up half a dozen on my way out. Voila! Cash for immediate online purchases. (Sorry, did they change that process and only print the last 4 of the number, seems I read that here, if so—sorry, if not beware!)
Frankly, I don’t think there is a way for a secure transaction anymore. But I’m also not comfortable carrying more than about $50 cash—MAX! I can’t afford to lose more than that, and just try to prove to your insurance company that you were carrying $1,00.00 in cash! Like those crooks would believe anything and pay a claim.
Nope, nothing is safe or sacred. All you can do is try to keep track of where things are and where they are being used. Sadly, not something I do often enough.
@Hanke: Every time I ask a customer to sign a valid signature, they get all huffy and tell me that a giant “X”, a smiley face, a scribble, etc. is their signature. I’ve gotten customers get angry because I ask for their ID and I’ve also gotten those that make snide remarks when I don’t. Seriously, there’s no way we can win.
@Skellbasher: I use mine to pay for packages sent overseas a few times a year. I haven’t had a problem yet.
@Carey: Cripes, I’m glad someone else besides me jumped in to try to explain it. I was beginning to think I was the only one reading the post. (Yes I know, you wrote it. Anywho….)
@Shmonkmonk: Legally your signature is whatever you choose to sign. If a customer chooses to write “X” as their signature then that is their legal signature.
My husband had a professor in law school who changed his signature daily (it was a succession of numbers) and kept a diary to be able to identify fraudulent signatures on charge drafts.
To the few that have commented on using a ‘See ID’ signed card at the USPS, you would seem to be in a minority. There are a large number of documented cases where the USPS will refuse cards signed this way, as well as other government agencies.
I think it’s about time for the Consumerist to contact Visa or Mastercard toget a more official response on this subject. To me, their online merchant agreements are pretty cut and dry, however there are some that seem to disagree with their interpretation.
This is almost a moot argument since more and more transactions are customer swiped at POS terminals, and a vast majority of cashiers don’t bother to look at the back of the card anyways.
Its almost irrelevant.Maybe 10 years ago it would stop fraud, but these days scammers steal and spend your credit/debit cards without ever touching (or needing)your card.
You can thank corporate security breaches and insider information theft for that.
Just a few days ago at the post office, I was asked to sign my new unsigned card on the spot, as I’m told they will accept an unsigned card.
I signed it “Your Mama”. The clerk didn’t notice or cared.
99% of the time, the cashier never touches my card with his hands during the transaction. I swipe my own card, I punch the “credit” key, I hit “ok” and I sign the screen with the shitty electronic pen.
When are they going to ask me for my ID?
I’ve put that on my cards forever, and nothing pisses me off more than when someone looks at it, clearly sees what it says, then DOESN’T FUCKING ASK ME!
@Carey: The problem I see is that if I write on my card to ask for ID, it gets stolen, the cashier asks the thief for ID, and he pulls out the merchant agreement saying they can’t require ID for the purchase.
It would certainly cast suspicion on the thief, but legally wouldn’t the merchant be right to still make the purchase without ID?
I think writing “See ID” is kind of a contradiction. What if you write “See ID” on your card and have the signature on it in the signature panel, and then refuse to provide identification since it is not required per the merchant agreement. Now you go home and make a complaint on mastercard’s website that the merchant required identification and they get a nasty letter from their acquirer. If I was a merchant, I certainly wouldn’t ask for ID, unless the card wasn’t signed, in which case I’d ask for ID and refuse the transaction until they signed the card.
@Trai_Dep:
That’s exactly what happened to me: the guy whipped up a fake ID matching his homebrewed credit card with my number. Sorry, “check ID” doesn’t help me and is an added layer of monitoring in our increasingly surveillance-ridden society.
@Matthew Hughes: “It would certainly cast suspicion…” Mission accomplished! As I wrote in the first sentence, telling retailers to ask for identification “isn’t an unimpeachable guarantee of security.” It’s just an extra hurdle.
That said, I like your scenario. Technically, you’re probably right, but brushing aside whether or not the thief knows of, let alone carries, the cardholder agreement, making a principled stand probably wouldn’t end well for the thief—at least not at IHOP or Walmart.
It’s funny how one thing gets published here or on lifehacker or some other big site one month, then a completely contradictory thing the next.
Your last line of defense against fraudulent activity is your credit card company reimbursing you of any fraudulent charges. That’s it. Writing “SEE ID” on the back of your card is fine, if you want, but completely unnecessary. Writing “Do Not Accept This Card Ever” would be just as effective and still allow you to use your card as normal.
The credit card companies have set it up so you don’t have to do much – just report it when your card disappears or when you notice questionable activity. End of story.
Not like anyone reads down this far, but here’s a clever solution that I haven’t seen posted yet.
1. Sign the back of it.
2. Write “See ID” on the FRONT of the card (Black Sharpie works fine).
No merchant rules broken, same false sense of security. This is actually MORE noticeable then being on the back of the card because really, who writes on the front of their card?!
@Carey:
That’s the problem we have in this society though. We have different views on Credit Cards, those who want merchant to check ID(Merchants AND Customers) even though the merchant agreement expressly forbids it being a REQUIREMENT of the transaction regardless if SEE ID is wrote on the card or not; Those who sign their cards and just want to use the credit card — well — LIKE A CREDIT CARD(customers, some merchants, and the card companies), and then we got those who think that they can go around their contractual agreements to enforce a STORE POLICY, and then somehow think that STORE POLICY = LAW, and presume law abiding cardholders trying to make a regular credit card purchase are criminals. Promoting this ‘anti fraud’ technique only further promotes minimum wage high school drop out employees who don’t even know what a merchant agreement is, to think that checking ID is something standard and REQUIRED for the purchase when it is in fact not. The Mis-Information Campaign is what hurts the most. Leave it to the Card Issuers to make the rules, they have deemed what is acceptable and expected by their customers and the methods where profit outweighs the loss. After all, your fraud liability is legally $50, and most cards have zero fraud liability. As many have pointed out, with features that don’t even involve the cashier(self-checkout, swiping the card yourself, gas stations, red box machines, the internet, and now even RFID enabled cards for use at ‘paywave’ machines where you don’t even have to take the card out of your wallet), there’s no point in writing See ID.
There is no reason I would ever do this, considering that a) there is very little evidence that it reduces fraud, b) there IS evidence that showing ID increases exposure to identify theft, and c) we’re not liable if there is fraud on a credit card. Why should I compromise my privacy more than necessary in order to protect my credit card company? This post seems to be based on a fundamentally flawed premise.
I’ve worked in retail for the last three years, and I always, ALWAYS check that the signatures match. If I get a ‘Please See ID’, I ask the customer to sign their name either over or next to those words. If they refuse, I ask for a separate form of payment.
Unless the customer’s name is ‘PLEASE SEE ID’, then the card IS NOT VALID. I’ve never been anywhere in my province that allows me to swipe my own CC, only in the States. Last time I went shopping in Alberta, I was asked to produce my driving licence for every transaction I made with my CC. Some cashiers ask, some don’t. The fact of the matter is that a card is not valid unless the signature is there. Period.
I would hope that customers pay closer attention to their bills than to rely on something so stupid as CID.
@petrarch1608: I’m pretty sure they’re discussing putting it in addition to the signature, and not in place of.
@Britt: I would hope that customers pay closer attention to their bills than to rely on something so stupid as CID.
The implication of this post (that it seems absolutely nobody bothered to fucking read, way to go Consumerists, way to go) is that it’s one more step you can take in preventing it from happening. By no means is it a catch-all solution and they’re not recomming you use it and only it.
The lack of intelligence in the commenter mindset (look, refrences to old stories in every page! ha ha i’m so witty) or blame-the-victim mentality when unwarranted is disgusting and I really wish something would be done about it.
@Skellbasher:
I think it’s about time for the Consumerist to contact Visa or Mastercard to get a more official response on this subject.
Seconded! My God, I am so tired of constant uninformed speculation masquerading as authoritative advice over here. Get some facts, talk to the right people, quit relying on poorly-chosen sources and for heaven’s sake, sign your cards already.
By the way: writing SEE ID does NOTHING when the card information is cloned and transferred to a counterfeit card. According to the RCMP, counterfeit card fraud “represents the largest category of credit card fraud, involving Canadian issued cards, with 37% of all dollar losses” (Source: [www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca]). So, even in a world of sunshine and rainbows when Mr and Mrs Yuppie thank the lowly cashier for making them take the time to pull out ID (or, for that matter, use their own damn card instead of their spouse’s), they’re not much ahead than previously… if at all. See comments above. I’m not about to reiterate this further.
@johnva:
x2
“Those who would give up liberty for security deserve neither.”
-Thomas Jefferson
As Basil states, 37% of card fraud is COUNTERFEIT cards, where your SEE ID message isn’t going to matter since it won’t be displayed on the COUNTERFEIT card, another reason I think cards w/ your picture printed on it is stupid.
It doesn’t freakin’ work – I have SO MANY people actually look at the sig panel on the back of the card, where it clearly says “PLEASE ASK FOR PHOTO ID” right below my signature … and they don’t.
I swear they’re looking for a sticker saying “PUNKED” or something.
I never understand you crazy Americans (or your crazy commerce systems anyway).
In NZ I barely ever carry cash, I pay for everything (from 50c transactions to overseas travel) with EFTPOS using my bankcard. I never have to sign anything, just enter my convenient PIN number and hit enter. It works or it doesn’t, that’s it.
If I want to get fancy and spend money I don’t have yet, then I can use my Visa, in which case I do exactly the same thing – I enter a PIN number, never have to sign anything. Only with my Amex to I have to actually sign the receipt (and the signature is seldom checked).
Something like 80% of daily transactions in NZ are electronic now.
Dear consumerist,
Please read the visa merchant guidelines, page 17.
I learned that from you!
Last time I checked minimal protection (say 3%) is better than no protection. I get asked over half the time (assuming the clerk handles the card at all)
It amazes me sometimes that there are so many people get all bent out of shape by other people writing “See ID” on their cards.