<![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies" - Consumerist Comments]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies" - Consumerist Comments]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @Thorny:
this is the exactly the type of person that sparks the big issue with the debate in the first place. If people didn't react negativiley about being ID-ed then there would be no issue. This is 2008 - you have to change with the times and whip it out --- it helps protect YOU and the Retailer and the CC company. By making it a personal issue and getting pissed off because the 20 yr old girl working behind the counter doesn't trust you is just sad. I worked high end retail around the years of 04-06 pampered bitchy ladies would get upset and be VERY RUDE to sales associates when you ask them for their ID - because they think you are doubting that they "have money" or how Thorny puts it... you don't "trust" her. That is NOT the case... we have camera's on us and endless meetings about how we now have to start ID-ing people and it's really uncomfortable for salespeople because you are so NOT understanding of any of it. Trust me I don't want to ask you....I really really don't- IT"S MY JOB...don't make it so personal! It's obvious that these women have never worked in the industry and are spoiled brats. ♥♥ Now on the other side to be understanding towards these women... I assume that she must not be a regular customer or if she was I wouldn't ask for her ID ( probably because I already have every detail of her life on my screen anyway- and the camera hovering over me can see that) . But she also acts like this because it's a NEW thing for her that we have only started doing recently and she doesn't do well with change. Well hey GET OVER IT! I hope if someone steals your CC that they get asked for ID...you don't think about that though. I doubt this problem of women getting upset happens at normal places like Target... I assume most of the attitude comes from your higher end places..saks..nordis...neimans...bloomies..etc...big freaking babies these pampered women are.


PryncessLayah

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @winter_in_asia:

They can certainly exercise "we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, for any reason", but there are limitations. It is actually UNLAWFUL to do so depending on the reason. If the patronage by disabled customers are small enough, the business many find it economically favorable to not make the building ADA accessible, then pull the "we reserve the right to refuse anyone for ANY reason". No, this would be unlawful.

Do you remember Denny's store that was threatened with lawsuit and settled for exercising racial profiling by requiring pre-pay at employees' discretion?

Using that excuse for not letting them get away with laying their own rule that conflicts with Visa or MC policies is in bad taste and will result in their acceptance privilege being revoked for discriminating against card users (as opposed to cash users) and too many "this merchant doesn't accept my card, yet displays Visa or MC logo".

Anyways, if the cashier doesn't understand why it's a big deal to show ID, ask the same question in return. For my protection, I want your name and home address and driver's license number to help assist in investigation in case I become a victim of identity theft.

Need-More-RWHP

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> Even when clerks "check" your ID, many times they are not doing a thorough job. I remember several years ago when I was 17, going to the store with my father's CC to purchase something (with his permission), and handing the clerk a Platinum Visa card, being asked for ID, handing them my ID with a name that did not match the CC and being able to make the purchase.

Other times, I have gone into a store, grabbed my wife's CC, been asked to show ID and been able to make the purchase even though the names again did not match.

Showing an ID is not an effective protection for the consumer, it is however a protection for the retailer.

Rachacha

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @Vandon: Ever heard of a fake ID? It's really not hard to make one, especially if you only have to fool some cashier.

ecwis

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @Happy13178:

:99 times out of 100, the consumer you're asking for ID is completely legitimate and won't appreciate being treated like a thief.

 

It seems that you don't pay attention to the people in line around you. Almost everyone I know feels that stores should be checking id with checks and credit cards. Every time someone asks for my ID with my credit card, I thank them for making sure if my card is ever stolen, it won't be used at that store.

Vandon

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @peetahvw: I would be inclined to agree if we lived in an ideal world. But alas, as I'm sure you know, ideals and reality are (sometimes) mutually exclusive. The industry can stick to their guns, but the general public and companies may choose not cooperate and vice versa.

 

In the case of the photo credit cards, it was a bit of both. In my opinion, it was a good idea which was taken on somewhat half-heartedly by the creditors (anything less than a permanent industry standard basically means death on a whim) and virtually neglected by the cardholders and clerks (either ignored outright or used for sentimentality purposes, etc.).

 

I believe Bank of America (on their debit and some credit cards) and Citibank (on some credit cards) still offer the Photo card feature.

 

Truth be told, I think the industry to invest in more security improvements into the cards. For example, in most of Europe and in Canada (slowly phasing in for the Interac network), they use the "Chip and PIN" system. Overall, for the time being, it is relatively secure and miles more secure than the magnetic stripe and sign concept. Of course, there are problems such as: "What happens if your card is stolen and the thief actually knows the PIN?" or the vestige of the swipe and sign on the card, etc. It's hard to live in this world, isn't it?

azntg

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @azntg: I hear you - but isn't that just poor training and the companies not giving it enough time to be adapted by the general public? i'm sure if the major issuers moved to a photo + signature printed on the card itself as a standard, and did it for 5-10 years (or however long the standard expiration period is to ensure every user of their card at least automatically received a new card with photo + signature) it would "stick" I guess I don't understand why they killed off the program...

peetahvw

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @ Jenny79-- thanks for the advice!

lovelygirl

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I *never* show ID if I use a credit card. For those of you who are proud to show the minimum wage clerk, your drivers license with your drivers license number, your date of birth, and your address on it; perhaps you should go view the current stats on identity theft.
Most of the time the clerk is simply being an a$$ in the first place. And as for the evil credit cards companies may not pay...most retail stores dont even require a signature for under $25.00...that is how worried they are about it.

tmcdill

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @ RenegadeBarista-- like I said, the application fees for drivers licenses/permits/non driver licenses can be very expensive. Some people just can't afford to shell out 50 bucks or more for an ID. And not all libraries have photo IDs. Also, some people may live in a rural area where it is difficult for them to reach a DMV(the sort of people who drive 3 hrs each way once a month to do all their shopping in the nearest town).

lovelygirl

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @peetahvw: It has been done before. And studies have been made that concluded that it was ineffective and time and time again, many cashiers have ignored the photo printed on the card.

It also didn't help that many issuers dropped the photo card feature due to its lack of popularity.

And oddly enough, I feel that even if they had those anyway, the same cashiers and merchants would ask for ID anyway.

On the whole, it's really simple though. Treat me nicely and do what you're supposed to do and you'll get an easy-maintenance, loyal customer for life. Turn me down thinking that I'm not worth your time and you'll earn more money from those that will comply with your twisted rules and I'll be on your a$$. I'll make it worth your time plus interest.

I've only had to do that once with one store because they decided they wanted to take a step further (I have time on my hands) and hopefully, I'll never have to do it again.

azntg

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> thats a lie about the video proof. ALl VISA/MC asks for is a signed receipt. IF the video thing was true, then all those other mom-and-pop stores that accept CC and dont have cameras would be screwed.

rolla

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> The problem is that fake photo ID is really easy to make. As in, i'm sitting in Tacoma, Washington right now and i would put good money after bad that i could have a credible-looking fake ID that said my name was Steve Jobs in, oh, two hours. Not only are we different genders, not only do i probably weigh 100 pounds more than him and am three inches taller...but if i were to have Steve's billfold (i don't!), every merchant which insists on ID would be clowned.

Again, i object much less to CONSISTENT and POSTED policies of checking ID. The Apple Store, the Virgin Megastore, Amoeba Music, some Denny's, etc...they all have this. It's the game of "suspicious transactions" that bother me, because we all know how that pans out. If you're only asking people who you don't approve of for ID, chances are you're going to claim it's "suspicious", no? I'm "suspicious" of dumb rules that don't protect anyone and prove to harrass people of social groups that a cashier finds undesirable, since by brown immigrant queer butt seems to be rather undesirable to lots and lots of cashiers.

algormortis

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> Perhaps I'm being over simplistic, but why don't more card companies just issue cards with photo and signature on the credit card itself? I know I'm missing something here but if the photo and signature are part of the card design itself this would:
- reduce showing a photo id at checkout
- put the burden squarely on the retailer to confirm that the photo matches the user
- signatures are required to on physical applications for most cards so that's easy and passport photo places I'm sure wouldn't mind the extra income (of course Consumerist readers make their own passport photos)
- there is plenty of technology out there (in the personal id card space) that can reproduce these onto "blank" credit cards
- since no other personal info (drivers license #, address, etc) in theory this would be more secure
- in theory fraudulent applications could be cut down as they would have a photo record for each application

the only hole really comes when the consumer swipes the card themself, ie self-checkout/gas stations, but even that could be limited if the photo and signature could somehow be encoded on the stripe as well so it could appear on the merchant's screen...or really sophisticated software might even be able to match digitally captured signatures to the encoded signature for an extra level of security.

my old BoA check-card had this feature (oddly my new one does not), can someone help poke holes in this idea?

peetahvw

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I actually get upset when I pay with a credit card and people DON'T ask for my ID. Just goes to show that someone could have stolen my card and they wouldn't even notice.

nursethalia

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> Sounds fair to me. I think people are far too paranoid about "cashiers with photographic memories"...if they hold on to your cards too long, then just tell em that you'll be keeping a tight watch on your account, so no funny business. They only go after the money of idiots anyways. Less trouble that ways.

nursethalia

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @johnva: No, they can't arrest you. They're supposed to subject you to an extra search [www.tsa.gov] . But I imagine they won't be nice about it if you have your ID in your pocket and are just refusing to take it out.

We may not find it suspicious, but I'm not surprised that some merchants (and people in this forum) do and chose to refuse the transaction instead of processing without an ID.

Deciding whether a situation is suspicious is a matter of personal opinion. But the agreement with Visa is not.

Michael Belisle

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> When I worked retail, I always checked ID on every transaction, no exceptions. Even when I was on comission.

Conincidentally, I caught more instances of fake and stolen credit cards, IDs, and checks than all other employees combined over a 1 year period.

Imagine that.

aikoto

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @LEA9017: Is it that difficult to show your ID with every CC transaction? What if you have an older ID that looks like it could be fake? Is it that difficult to show your ID and your passport, just in case, with every CC transaction? But what if the passport is fake? Is it that difficult to show your ID, your passport, and your birth certificate with every CC transaction? Oh, but what if you don't have one (foreign born, fire, natural disaster, etc)? Is it that difficult to show your ID, your passport, your birth certificate, and/or leave a DNA sample? Surely nobody would have an objection to that!

I have *rarely* been asked for ID. I think the exception was when I was carrying an old card and my signature was kinda faded and smudged. But after reading the Consumerist, I'm just *waiting* for some retail drone to ask for my ID so I can say, "no thank you". Let the games begin! :-)

S-the-K

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> If it's an ID theft situation you're worried about, don't... unless you're checking into a hotel, where you usually have to provide your address, phone #, etc.

That's where you're most likely to get your ID stolen. It's a combination of having all that information in one place, plus low-paid & low-skill non-security-vetted (usually) labor with loads of time on their hands. If you think the cashier at Wal-Mart is going to remember all the info on your ID card, may I suggest a tin-foil hat?

clevershark

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I apologize if someone has already said this (too lazy to read all posts). Wouldn't the easiest answer be to have your photo ID directly on the CC?

Justafan

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I don't really understand what the big deal is with providing ID to show you're the person whose name is on the credit card. Why is that a problem?..

clevershark

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I have a photo id bank card with visa option. Very handy, no one asks for ID when I use it.

ouiserboudreaux

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @jenny79: Another reason to get a DL as early as possible is for insurance reasons. Most, if not all, insurance companies take the amount of years you've been licensed for into consideration when determining your rates.

FightOnTrojans

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> My opinion on this is just because it's a law doesn't mean it's correct. All you people yelling about us "sheep" showing our ID are nuts. To me, you're the sheep, blindly following a law because it touts you have RIGHTS and you like that word, and you never look at the pros and cons of it.

Balisong

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I don't believe this guy at all. While I was working in retail, I once asked a lady for ID, and she got all snippy and said I don't need it. When I asked a manager what to do, he said it wasn't our problem. Even if the card was stolen, the store was still going to get the money, so no I couldn't demand ID. In short, not our problem, it's for the person whose card was stolen to deal with it. Plus, not every business has video surveillance, and I have never heard a manager go "Oh we gotta check our security tapes again. Retrieval request. Yep. Oh it was JOHN who didn't check for ID - that's a write-up!" How would you even go about that?? It's not like the tape is close-captioned with the name of each customer. And surveillance cameras are low-quality picture - you can barely tell what's going on.

The more I think through this, the more I think BS. This sounds like someone's trying to argue that laws protecting the """RIGHT""" for people to not show ID with their credit card really does help the consumer rather than the store the stolen card was used at.

Balisong

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> Its weird...I've lived in both New Jersey and Delaware...In Delaware EVERYONE checks your ID. Even restaurants. I don't think I've ever been asked for an ID at some retailer in NJ

aro

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I've also worked in retail management and gotten these requests; however, I have never been asked to provide proof that we checked ID, only the signed receipt.

brianala

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @Happy13178: 99 times out of ten you're annoying a valid customer, but if that 1 out of 100 is a person using a stolen credit card that gets charged back, you're giving 1% of your goods out for free. Having had multiple of my cards stolen, I'd be glad to show you my ID. I don't care; I'm me, and don't plan to steal any cards.

zimzombie

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @Happy13178: I appreciate being asked for ID, since my card has been stolen in the past, and the clerk has no idea whether I'm the card's actual owner or not. I get irritated if they DON'T check. Especially considering I have "SEE ID" written on the back of my card...

InfiniTrent

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @xamarshahx: I bank with Wamu. One time a women in front of me was withdrawing (no deposit) $700. How do I know? She asked me if she filled out the form correctly. I watched as she got to the teller. The teller asked for ID. The woman had none. The teller asked for her debit card. The woman had none. The woman did have a Wamu checkbook but she only flashed the cover, not opening the checkbook to show the checks. The teller hesitated, then gave her the cash. My jaw almost dropped.

Thankfully another time two people were trying to withdraw money from a bank account using a business card as ID. Just a regular business card with no picture, just words. The teller told them he could not accept a business card as ID. Thankfully they were turned away.

gingerCE

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> What I find most interesting about the "asking for ID" phenomenon is that I never get asked for ID when buying high ticket items, like computers or televisions. Buying a $10 t-shirt at Steve and Barry's? EVERY TIME!

LawyerontheDL

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @gingerCE:

It was a credit card. Assuming you reported it promptly, your liability would max out at $50, and could be zero.

Checking ID helps the store - it has zero benefit for you.

JustAGuy2

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> Acronym alert!

You're lucky that they even allowed you to pay without a C&P.

@RvLeshrac: What's a C&P?

Rectilinear Propagation

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> Simple. The credit card companies care about their asses, not anyone elses. They don't want you to check id because that might slow down the sale, or cause a "sale abort".

They also don't want to take the liability for fraudulent charges. This is their system to make sure they get to pocket maximum $$$$, by screwing the merchant.

unklegwar

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> Check ID. It is such a little thing but can prevent a whole lot. I have had my CC stolen--thousands charged at Bloomingdales. Another friend, card stolen and within an hour hundreds charged at the Gap. A third person had her purse stolen and charged at a local grocery store. Someone I know even had a payroll check stolen and cashed.

Credit card theft is not a victimless crime. It is a form of identity theft.

gingerCE

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> Consumerist,

I'm a big fan and daily reader and all that, but you sort of dropped the ball with this post. You should have called Visa to clarify the ID situation, or to at least comment on this retailer's accusations. I don't think it's fair to run stories like this without asking each party for a comment.

TheOtherOtherGuy

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @xamarshahx: That's quite a bit different. In that case, it's to protect the customers' own money. In the retail situation with a credit card, I benefit in no way by showing my ID.

johnva

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> In my American Express terms and conditions, it plainly says "Your American Express card is all the ID you need."

Black Bellamy

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> When I used to work at a bank I would get idiots all the time who didn't want to show their ID. They would ask why or refuse. WE HANDLE YOUR MONEY, THATS WHY! Then they come bitchin when hit by identity fraud.

xamarshahx

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I always refuse to show ID when using my mastercard for transactions where the merchant handles my card. Why? Because with the number on the front, the number on the back, and the data printed on my state-issued ID card, they could impersonate me in online transactions. I take other precautions with my card (spending limit that can't be exceeded, etc), but preventing someone from having the required data to screw me saves me time on the phone to the credit card company later on. I value my personal time, and dislike wasting it because some retail store clerk somewhere has good memory and more greed than ethics.

Difdi

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @ju_ju_eyeball: EXCELLENT deduction. Visa/MasterCard companies are not your bank per say; they are the processing houses' that work on behalf of the consumer via the consumers bank (the card).

Being "middle-men", they have legally figured out the way to cover their butts, never lose a dime, and force the onus of finance on either the consumer OR the merchant, no matter which way the transaction goes (valid or fraudulent).

NoWin

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I don't think the problem is so much checking ID, as much as in the case of the previous Apple story, recording personal information into a store's database. There is no reason for a retailer to keep a copy of a driver's license number or home address.

ianmac47

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @yesteryear: I don't know where you're getting this stuff about it taking "6 months" to file a fraud complaint. Like I said in the other thread...I've done it twice and spent about a grand total of 5 minutes on it. They only mildly tried to resist, by asking me if I could have made the purchases and forgotten. I just said "absolutely not. I'm 100% positive this is fraud". And they just instantly credited my account, re-issued me a new card number, and that was the last I heard of it. Maybe it's worse with different issuers, but my two were with two different credit card companies and they both handled it virtually the same way.

You do have a bit stronger point about ID theft being more likely elsewhere. This is probably true. But it doesn't mean that we should just not care about minimizing the release of our personal information. The best security practice is always to limit the release of any sensitive information ONLY to people who "need to know". A clerk or store does not need to know my DOB, DL#, address, or any of the other data that is on my driver's license in order to verify and process my credit card transaction according to credit card rules. Therefore, I do not show them my ID.

johnva

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> Most credit cards are not valid if they are not signed.

chazz

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> All I have to say Is I refuse to show my ID for any purchase where the government doesn't require it PERIOD!!!!!!!!! I refuse to have any one take a copy of my ID for anything Period!!!!!!!! I have be the Victim of identity theft when I was in my early Twenties because I allowed some Retail jockey take my information at a Future shop as condition of a sale for using a credit card. It took my 6 years to clear it up. It almost cost me my job in the military due to the credit issues.

IT IS MY IDENTY and I will not give my business to any place that treats me like a thief and ask for ID even for cash purchase. I will not show ID or give personal information as a condition of completing a sale where I'm giving them MY money.

I run my own business and I will not treat my clients like thieves. Yes I've had some one use a fake credit card but it is the risk "I" take for giving my customers and clients the convince of using a credit card which benefits me by more business being conducted.

Some of you people are sheep and until it happens to you will not know the difficulties that affect you by it. Not being able to buy a car, a home. Having to go in person to pay cash to take pay for your flight to take vacation because you can't even get a credit card. Leaving a huge deposit at a hotel for the same reason. Not being able to rent a car so changing and planning where you go on vacation because of it so you wont need one.

How many people freely give their ID over to a video rental store, a job application before their even hired? An apartment rental credit check before they even are show the place or chose to live there. Many it seams on here is comfortable in showing it in a retail place where a minimum wage person works the counter with little training and incentive to protect the information you just handed over to them. Your school, your work, ect ect ect ect. What are they doing with YOUR personal information? Who has access to it? What are they doing to protect it? People freely give up so much of their personal information that they are risking some thing more valuable then any thing they could own and that's their Identity!

Go a head an be sheep's and the good retail customer that the industry has moulded you in to being. I will continue to protect my own interests and question the practices of these companies and will take my business else where if I don't feel comfortable with how the treat me ore any of the personal information that I chose to give them.

From big to small there are data breaches happening from the Government to local fitness centers loosing computes and data with your information on it. People information that was so freely given and trusted to some one else is being lost on a regular basis. Think about that the next time some one asks for your Drivers licence and SSN and ask why do they need it, what are they going to do with it and how are they protecting this information.

Think about what would happen if your identity is taken by some one else and you have credit so poor that you couldn't open a checking account. Think about the next five years can be like. Need to move and rent a new place, good luck , need a new phone line , cell phone, utilities, All the convinces of having a credit card, booking a flight, registering on line for that night school coerce, buying a few downloaded songs. Registering your kids on line for a community program. The list gets very long and difficult to deal with and it's not some fantasy it's happening to people every day.

armour

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> My BofA card has my picture on it. But of course, I can't use it now because I opted out of the rate increase. Otherwise, I will gladly show my ID when paying with a credit card. It's painless.

mworthen

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @threeoutside: here's the thing: it is advantageous to the card issuer if you sign ASK FOR ID or something similar. if they are in possession of the card & can prove that the signature on the slip doesn't match the signature on the card, they can file a "compliance" case with VISA. this type of case means that the merchant didn't comply with VISA rules. if VISA rules against the merchant, they will be liable for the purchase amount PLUS stiff penalties for non-compliance.

so, in short, if you sign ASK FOR ID on your card & sign something else on the slip (& the merchant accepts it for payment), you are passing fraud liability from the card issuer to the merchant.

smart managers will train their cashiers to follow the acceptance procedure to the letter to avoid this type of cost. stupid managers invest in surveillance equipment instead of employee training, thinking that will save them. WRONG!

mac-phisto

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @morganlh85: I sometimes run out to the supermarket with just my card, since its only a block or two away.

statnut

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @Michael Belisle: that prank is hilarious. i also recommend his superbowl prank... that one is incredible.

as far as all of the privacy rights people out there who want to protect their identities by not providing ID... i'm just not feeling you. if you are so concerned about 'the man' knowing about your spending habits, don't use a credit card. do you really think that information is going to some database maintained by monks? i don't have data on this, but i would imagine more ID theft originates in the customer service/data management departments of credit card companies where they have access to your personal information for much longer than the 10 seconds it takes to write down your DL #, than in stores where they have but a few seconds.

and about those commercials that show the person who does NOT use his visa holding up the line and making life awful for everyone else. i see this as security loss in the name of convenience.

so, don't show your ID... but don't complain here when you get a bill for something you didn't buy and visa doesn't rectify it in 10 minutes or less. 6 months of disputes vs. 10 seconds of flashing your picture ID? the choice is obvious to me.

yesteryear

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I don't understand why people think not signing a card protects your identity. Please fill me in.

DoctorMD

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> Someone at a credit card company needs to confirm/deny the whole "we need video evidence of you checking the ID".

It's never bothered me to show ID and it won't unless the cashier tries to record any information off of my ID (Apple thread). That's never happened with my card though; that's the kind of bullshit they insist on doing if you have to write a check. A commentor in the Apple thread said that someone tried to make them show ID when using their card as debit. This would also make me upset because debit cards require a PIN. The "I" stands for Identification. Since I'm the only person that's supposed to know it the PIN should be enough to prove it's my card.

Rectilinear Propagation

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I also do that, since I was once a victim of credit card theft, now none of my cards has a signature, instead I have written with a marker pen, "CHECK ID", and when they ask for ID verification I thank them, if they don't check the card I ask them to check the card again and tell me what it says. It's a good idea to not sign your card and to allow the store to request it. No big brother here, just common sense in a world where ID theft is rampant.

gp5548

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @Michael Belisle: Refusing to show ID is in no way suspicious.

A similar situation is that it doesn't make you a likely terrorist if you refuse to show ID at the airport. It just makes you someone who probably cares about privacy more than most. The difference there is that they are empowered not to let you fly as a result (by secret, classified "laws"). But I don't think they can arrest you, even at the airport, for refusing to show ID, because it is not suspicious just to refuse to show identification.

johnva

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> Now I AM confused. I, too, heeded the advice of many financial experts both online and at my credit union, and wrote "ASK FOR ID" inplace of my signature on the back of my Visa card. As others have said, I want them to ask but they usually don't. However, I got stern lectures from the guy behind the counter at the U.S. Post Office - twice! He claimed that the information I had been given was faulty, and implied I was lucky he agreed to accept my credit card for payment. I finally wrote my signature, very lightly, across the Sharpie-penned "ASK FOR ID." You can HARDLY see it, but it seemed to satisfy Mr. USPS. But now I'm wondering - DOES writing that instead of your signature invalidate your card?

threeoutside

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> Funny there is a thing called a PIN. They should institute those for credit cards also, instead of a stupid signature agreeing to something I already agreed to.

Also they could put your picture on the card as one of mine does. (Love it when they still want to see ID.) If they did those 2 things offline CC fraud would pretty much go away.

DoctorMD

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I've worked at about every store in the mall there is (thank God I escaped to a cubicle). By far, the worst group is the people who leave the signature line blank. BLANK! They figure that way they HAVE to ask for ID. Guess what? The card is nto valid! At least write SEE ID or CHECK ID on it with a Sharpie people! Some dummy can steal your card and sign it any way they please and then what good does a blank card do you? Like a clerk working for minimum wage and even lower appreciation cares about credit card safety.

bethanyp07

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @StevieD:

Oops, sorry, signature verification is not sufficient. Too many stupid people don't sign their cards so the thief just signs the card using his/her standard handwriting and the signature on the sales ticket will match.

Throw in a photo ID and the crackHo's have to actually work at using your card. And everybody knows the crackHo's want to avoid work.

oops, sorry. you really have no idea what you're talking about here. the whole point of signing your card when you receive it like the goddamn sticker tells you to do is so that someone else can't sign it. but guess what - even if you don't comply & someone else signs it, the merchant is STILL NOT LIABLE!

see, there's these things called interchange fees. in the pre-VISA days, these were typically called extortion fees. the merchant pays the fees & as long as they hold up their side of the agreement (see afore-mentioned "easy-to-follow steps"), they are not liable for a fraudulent transaction. with VISA's zero liability policy, the cardholder is also not liable. VISA is never liable. guess who that leaves? if you guessed the card issuer, you were right! they receive the bulk of the extortion...err...interchange fees (VISA skims a bit off the top like a good racketeer) & these are designed to offset the cost of fraudulent transactions. take a percentage of every transaction to cover the bad ones. sound familiar? it should - it's how most insurance works.

@StevieD:

Can you tell me which electronic chains don't have a camera aimed at all the registers?

radioshack, for one.

mac-phisto

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @Happy13178:

If the consumer refuses to show ID, I'm sure the retailer can simply exercise their right to "refuse service to anyone" based on some other minor factor. Just because the CC companies won't let them refuse a transaction based on this, doesn't mean that they can't find another reason not to complete it if they don't want to.

winter_in_asia

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> They can't make you show ID because an ID is not required to recieve a credit card.

qwerty017

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> In any case, just go to Guadalajara in Mexico, and use your CC. Every average joe manning the register will ask for ID. All retail down here has a valid photo ID as a requirement for accepting CC.

rioja951

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> This is a hot topic and we need to get some investigative journalism involved to reveal both sides of this puzzle. Just my opinion, but it looks like we are taking a wiki approach here and it would be nice to have the big four chime in with an official statement. Plus, is it not possible that local/state law differences may preclude the optimal situation the big four suggest in their agreements?

chus3r

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @TinkishDelight: Regardless of the ID for purchases issue, it's probably not a good idea to be walking around with no identification...

qwickone

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @eskimo81:

That's very nice. You're breaking a legal agreement with your credit card companies, however.

I will not show you my ID when I purchase with a credit card. If you refuse to sell to me, I will file a complaint with Visa. They will slap you down.

Check the card signature against the receipt. That's your fraud protection. If you don't like that, don't take credit cards.

JustAGuy2

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @defiant1: It's all in the details. When I run out at lunch to the mall across the street to pick up one little thing at Radio Shack, it's incredibly convenient to just shove my debit card in my pocket and not haul along my whole purse. To have Radio Shack tell me I can't buy my $10 item because I don't have my driver's license - despite having my STATE employee ID that has my name and a photo - that's annoying, and I don't think I'm in any way ridiculous to say so.

jenl1625

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I don't believe this guys claim about being required to show video of an ID check, or his claim that the merchant is responsible after a charge has been accepted by the CC company in any case of fraud.

BearTack

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @mathew: Interesting. I had that happen to me, once, with a card I'd forgotten to sign. I've always thought that it was really ridiculous for her to have asked me to sign it there instead of simply refusing it -- what, a thief in possession of a stolen card is going to balk at making up a signature of my name? -- and I guess I still do, but at least it's required ridiculousness, so she wasn't, just, like, inventing the stupidity herself.

I'm with many of the other posters. I thank the cashiers that ask me for ID. I'm assuming some risk to give them the ID, that the cashier might record my personal data and steal my identity, but I think it's somewhat more likely that someone steals my wallet and goes to a gas station with it, so I'll gamble in favor of preventing the more likely theft...and keep checking my credit reports.

sabrinad

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @defiant1:
Bad idea. From the credit card company's point of view, that's like not leaving the card unsigned. If there's fraud, and they find out that your card is unsigned, you're responsible 100%.


JustAGuy2

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @Happy13178:

sure they can deny the sale, any retailer can.

whiplashchick

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> Several people have asked what the problem is with just simply showing your ID...Just look at the Visa commercials ([usa.visa.com]), does anyone show ID there, life does not run as smoothly if you have to stop, pull out your wallet, pull your ID out of your wallet, hand your ID to the clerk so the clerk can look at my photo I had taken before I had my Gastric bypass surgery and lasic eye surgery, and had my black hair dyed brown (so I now am 200 lbs lighter and don't wear glasses with a different hair color). So now I don't look anything like my photo ID, but chances are 50/50 that my photo will be accepted (proving that photo ID checking is worthless), or it will be wrongly denied (meaning that my card will be percieved as stolen and confiscated), so who wins now?

Rachacha

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> Dear Scott,
Please support your claim. Here is support for my claim you can NOT require ID.

MASTERCARD
----------------------
"9.11.2 Cardholder Identification
A merchant must not refuse to complete a MasterCard card transaction solely
because a cardholder who has complied with the conditions for presentment
of a card at the POI refuses to provide additional identification information,
except as specifically permitted or required by the Standards."(MasterCard Rules p.48)

Yes, I'm aware there is a "unique transaction" exception, but most merchants do not need to worry about this as this does not apply to them.

"For unique transactions processed in a face-to-face environment (with the
exception of truck stop transactions and card-read transactions where a
non-signature CVM is used), request personal identification of the
cardholder in the form of an unexpired, official government document.
Compare the signature on the personal identification with the signature on
the card." (p.72)

What constitutes unique transaction?
Money Transfer, Quasi Cash, Gambling Transactions, Truck Stop Transactions and Remote Stored Value Load (MasterCard Chargeback Guide p.119-120)

VISA
-------
"When should you ask a cardholder for an official government ID? Although Visa
rules do not preclude merchants from asking for cardholder ID, merchants
cannot make an ID a condition of acceptance. Therefore, merchants cannot
refuse to complete a purchase transaction because a cardholder refuses to
provide ID. Visa believes merchants should not ask for ID as part of their
regular card acceptance procedures. Laws in several states also make it illegal
for merchants to write a cardholder's personal information, such as an address or
phone number, on a sales receipt."(Rules for Visa Merchants, p.29)

So, this sums up the official policies from respective companies on identification policy. If you insist otherwise, PLEASE provide it and cite the source.

Works Cited

Chargeback Guide. MasterCard International, 2006. 118-119. 21 Feb. 2008 .

Merchant Rules Manual. MasterCard International, 2005. 48+. 21 Feb. 2008 .

Rules for Visa Merchants. Visa USA, Inc, 2007. 29. 21 Feb. 2008 .

Need-More-RWHP

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @nacio: Oh and I invoked "If you are suspicious about the transaction or feel you need additional information to insure the identity of the cardholder, make a Code 10 call" later on page 29.

It's perfect solution, straight from Visa. Ask, if customer refuses (which can understandably be construed as suspicious), the merchant can make a code 10 call.

So I, like you, wish they would follow the rules they agreed to.

Michael Belisle

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @nacio: Are you responding to the right post? I never disputed that. I commend you for talking to the manager and taking it up with Steve Jobs.

But if you are talking to me, the start of that thread invoked the same page 29: "Although Visa rules do not preclude merchants from asking for cardholder ID, merchants cannot make an ID a condition of acceptance."

So they can ask whenever they want. And you're supposed to be able to choose. In practice, it's like boarding an airplane: You are not required to show ID, but it's a lot easier to comply if you have your ID on hand.

I have no problem with the additional screening, so I wish Apple had called your bank like you suggested.

Michael Belisle

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> To all the people who write "see ID" or a variant on their credit cards:

The major credit card companies (Visa and MC) specifically instruct their merchants not to accept cards lacking a signature unless the consumer provides identification and signs the back of the card.

And don't even tell me that "see ID" is a signature... unless that's also the signature on your driver's license

coreyander

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @Happy13178: 99 times out of 100, if the person isn't a DICK HEAD, they will show ID if they aren't a thief.

m4nea

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> It's funny how concerned people are over identity theft and about something silly as showing your ID for a legitimate purchase. Is the clerk with the photographic memory going to remember your ID and use it later on? Highly unlikely.. Yet most people don't have any qualms about handing a food server their credit card or putting personal information on social networking sites such as Facebook.

This should be a non-issue. Checking ID is mutually beneficial. If someone has my credit card I would want merchants to check his ID, and I'm sure retailers want to protect themselves as well.

jaewon223

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> PEOPLE! With just your ID number a thief (underpaid clerk) can STEAL your life. All it takes is a moment of "checking your ID and credit card" to memorize the ID number... then from there they can gather more info about you then steal your ID totally. NEVER show ID to a clerk. It simply is not worth the risk. Remember, a driver's license has all of the information a thief needs to steal your identity. Carefully protect copies of your driver's license and license number!

jwissick

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @stauffac: right the five minutes it takes to report fraudulent charges that probably happen because you shows off your personal information for no reason when you didn't have it.. it's crazy that the internet merchants are probably safer then the streets.

nacio

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @bearymore: With your ID number memorized, I can really take over your life. That's why you should NEVER show ID when paying with a card. Memorizing your 6-7 digit ID number is easy.. (and some states use your SSN as their ID number on licenses.) A thief using your credit card number is NOT ID theft.. it's fraud. Using your info to get a card of my own in your name is ID theft... two different things. Showing ID at purchase promotes ID theft.

jwissick

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @Michael Belisle: only time they can verify ID is for checks and for credit cards cash advance.

nacio

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> i suspect this being a rogue post and that this isn't really a merchant... especially not one that has his merchant agreements on hand.

nacio

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I do not have a problem "showing" ID. It's when the stupid Point-Of-Sale computers require the stupider employees to enter my Drivers License number into the computer to complete the transaction that I get upset and say "NO, don't do that." They then say that they have to, and I then say to "make up a number." They refuse, I tell them the story of Identity Theft (Name, DL#, CC# all in the same transaction record in the same computer) and they still refuse to make up a number, in which case, I walk away. No Sale. The stupider employees SEE me, they SEE my photo ID and they STILL insist on not agreeing to my terms to complete the transaction. I could care less about what THEY (the store) wants. If they want MY money, they agree to MY terms, or I vote with my feet.

CityGuySailing

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I just remembered the initial reason, a long time ago, why asking for ID started to annoy me:

Back when debit was just hitting the big time, Visa invested a lot of money in their advertising campaign that pushed "no id required" as a benefit of using debit over checks. So when I get asked for an ID with a credit/debit card, I feel like I've been lied to.

Michael Belisle

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> For all the "who cares if they ask you/ you don't like it pay cash" commenters. Try ignoring one of the provisions of your cardholder agreement with Visa/MC adn see how quickly the card issuer is all over you for it. To that end the merchants need to be held up to their agreements as well, regardless of their policies or the whim of random employees.

D-Bo

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> The merchant agreements do ask for it. My mom was Vice President of a large bank in Colorado for five years after working her way up from teller, and now she owns a spa. On both sides of that, she has told me continuously that it is a violation of a merchant agreement to ask for an ID if a card is signed. If a card isn't signed, you are supposed to either keep it or not accept it.

Also, as of a few years ago, my dad works at Visa. Before that, at Colorado National Bank before it was bought by US Bank and he was laid off. He says the same thing. He has a lot of criticisms for how credit card companies work, and that is one he uses a lot.

-Sam

CSUSam

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> SHENANIGANS!

Dooley

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @RvLeshrac: Wait, it costs the merchant money to be cautious? If man comes in and says "My name is Laura Bush", it'll cost the merchant money to verify his identity since the terminal didn't say anything?

I need documentation to believe that. The rules just say "if you suspect fraud, make a code 10 call." "When something doesn't look right, ... make a code 10 call."

But the rules don't cover fees.

Michael Belisle

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> This is complete crap. The networks go out of their way to side with the merchant if they can document their processes of verifying signatures. The problem the whiner mentions is that since they do not regularly verify signatures against cards, they are penalized. Which is true. Were they to verify signatures against cards, they would have ZERO liability against fraudulently signed cards. As one CC exec puts it, we trust the signature, if the merchant doesn't, then they are on their own.

JohnA

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @StevieD:

I know of a half-dozen locations in my store where the cameras don't reach. No effort has been made to add cameras to the "dark" areas, but a tiny minority of loss occurs in those places. Shoplifters really just don't care about cameras.

RvLeshrac

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @Michael Belisle:

If you are not given a code by the terminal, a call like that will result in a charge to your merchant account.

RvLeshrac

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @chrishop:

Yeah, good luck with that. "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone" "No ID, No Service"

Well, how about "No White-colored Skin, No Service"

How does that work for you? It doesn't? Gee, I wonder why? But they reserve the right to refuse service to ANYONE.

Good luck with that argument.

Dooley

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @forgottenpassword:

Keep in mind that the EU has *FAR* stricter requirements than the US on card payments.

You're lucky that they even allowed you to pay without a C&P.

As far as the customs agent goes, you've obviously never been a foreign visitor to the US. An old boss of mine married a brazilian girl shortly before we pissed off the entire country by requiring that they all be fingerprinted upon and as a condition of entry into the US.

She wanted to visit her parents, having just been married, so they went to Brazil for their honeymoon. Despite her having a valid passport and visa, the asswipes in the US refused to allow her to re-enter the US.

Eventually, after around six months of back-and-forth with a senator, she was finally given clearance to re-enter the country.

For another story, take my stepfather. A red-blooded hard-core far-right Nixon-and-McCarthy conservative who thinks the US is the greatest country that has ever existed and will ever exist, and that our current government can do absolutely no wrong. He took a trip to Japan on business, came back, and said that the only bad part of his trip was returning to the surly idiots here.

He asked one of our 'friendly' and 'helpful' airport security personnel where he needed to go for boarding his first connection after re-entering the US. The 'kind' guard pointed to the gate and said nothing about the fact that my stepfather was carrying a rolling suitcase. Stepdad doesn't fly very often, so he thought nothing of taking it up the escalator, where he was immediately swarmed by security demanding to know how he got through with the bag, where he was going, what he was doing, his identification and his passport. He simply pointedly told them that the guard down the escalator told him that he needed to go up the escalator to reach his connecting flight, and that if they wanted him to take the luggage somewhere else first they needed to either tell him that BEFORE they sent him to the boarding gate or piss off.

He noted that it was a marked departure from the treatment he was given in Japan, where even the businessman in the airport who barely spoke any english walked him all the way to his gate and thanked him "for allowing of me to help," just because he had a conversation with the man along the way.

RvLeshrac

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @dualityshift: You misunderstand: it's a prank. Check the provided link. It's one in a series of hilarious credit card pranks.

My favorite is verifying the identify of the Visa rep:


VISA: ...And for security, I just need your mother's maiden name?

JOHN HARGRAVE: [I tell him] And Barry, for security purposes, I also need your mother's maiden name.

VISA: Uh ... my mother's maiden name, sir?

JH: Uh-huh.

VISA: OK. Uh ... please hold for a moment, sir.

[www.zug.com]

Michael Belisle

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @iqag:

Good post, I agree 100% If they don't like the "Signature as authentication" policy Visa has, then DON'T TAKE THE CARD!

Dooley

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> What happend to "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone"? No ID. No service.

chrishop

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> $100 says "Scott" is fake.

banks

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @forgottenpassword: @pmcpa: Yeah seriously. What part of "not valid without signature" is unclear? I had to deal with a customer like you once:

Me: I can't accept this. It says "not valid without signature."
Customer: "You have to check my ID."
Me: You don't think a thief will sign the card?"
Customer: "You're very rude. Is your manager around?"

Once again, I wish I knew about the "sign card in my presence" part of the rules.

Michael Belisle

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @spawnofbill:

You sound like a hateful person. I suppose that every person who doesn't have a "photo ID" available is out to commit fraud on you and all of your camera stores in a 3-mile radius?

Let's say I lost my driver license for whatever reason... Lost wallet, lost ID holder, or just lost it because it slipped out of the holder when some clerk required to see the ID to accept a credit card... Now I go to the DMV to get a new license, and for the first month, all I have is a temporary license. You know, a piece of paper from the DMV with my license number, address, and a physical description (height, weight, eye color) but no photo.

Does this mean that I can't use my credit card? I have no "Photo ID" but I do have a legitimate license?

Also, how is some 17-year old clerk going able to tell that a driver license is valid? Are they putting it under a black light to verify the issuing state's ultraviolet seal? Do they each have a manual that shows the security features of each state's licenses?

I am a Notary, and as such, I am required by law to check ID with every notarization. I rely on a black light and ID check guide (for out of state licenses that I am not familiar with) to confirm identity. If I don't see all the security features, I turn the person away.

Also, confirmation of ID is a task that even the airports had to turn over to the TSA. If a trained airport security guard can't be trusted to determine the validity of a license, how can the 17-year old part time clerk at Radio Shack determine a real license from a fake one?

Here's the bottom line about chargebacks: If you SWIPE a card (Read: The card was in your hands, and was read by the magnetic strip) and your credit card unit reads "AUTHORIZED" then there is NOTHING -- Not even a "lack of signature" that can get you a chargeback. The only risk to a chargeback is when you TYPE the number in (Read: Phone orders, web orders, or the card's strip was unable to be read by your machine)

Now, if my wallet was stolen, and someone is using my credit card, then they have a matching ID to go with it. Do you think the kid is really looking at the picture and comparing it to your face? Do they ask you to remove your hat and sunglasses to confirm that the picture is really you? I've never seen this done...EVER.... except at the airport. If they stole my wallet, then they have my ID as well, so what good is it anyway?

Besides, if someone stole my wallet, the credit card would have been cancelled LONG before they had a chance to use it, unless they had me kidnapped and hogtied!

The BOTTOM LINE is that ID checks are USELESS for a credit card transaction.

Dooley

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> Here's a brilliant solution for merchants:

Ask for ID. If the customer refuses, make a code 10 (suspicious transaction) call to approve the transaction, the recommended action when in doubt.

Voilà. All agreements are satisfied, The merchant gets to check ID and is protected when the occasional asshole like me refuses. We can rightfully argue the ID, but we can't argue a code 10 call.

@stauffac: FWIW, you're the millionth person to bring this up, and I'm the millionth to issue you the following response.

"Ask for ID" is not a valid signature. I wish I still worked in retail, so that I could ask you for your ID, and then follow the rules: force you to sign the card in my presence or deny the transaction.

Michael Belisle

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @forgottenpassword: Wow, so you carry an invalid card, and were pissed and used such nice words for the guy doing his job... You must be so proud and well educated!

pmcpa

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @yesteryear:
Before anyone jumps on you for your Shamu signature:

1. Did you pay your CC Bill when it came in?

2. Did you report the charge as fraudulent?

If you answered Yes and No respectively, cute. If it was No and the Yes, let the commenters tear you to shreds.

I'm hoping it was the first.


dualityshift

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I had Check ID written on my card (signature wore off) for a full year and only was asked twice for my signature(ironically for small fast food items and not the large tech purchases). I am a white male, mid-twenties.

When summer came, I shaved my head. That week, I was asked no less than five times. When my hair started growing back in, I wasn't asked again. (I can only imagine how much worse this effect is on minorities than my shaved head)

Obviously, retailers need to be able to verify ID to prevent fraud, but leaving it up to each cashier to judge invites profiling. The only fair way to do this is check all IDs or check on all purchases over a set amount or make that credit card companies take the full force of any losses from fraud.

monkeyboy13

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @Hitchcock:

Can you tell me which electronic chains don't have a camera aimed at all the registers?

My slimy friends want to know.

BTW, my local bank has the official cameras. You know the ones... that you can see everywhere about the lobby of the bank. And the bank has hidden cameras that I doublt the brank manager have a clue where they exist.

I wonder how many cameras your electronics chain actually has? Maybe there is one in your office. Keep that in mind the next time you do something you don't want HR to see.

StevieD

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @mac-phisto:

Oops, sorry, signature verification is not sufficient. Too many stupid people don't sign their cards so the thief just signs the card using his/her standard handwriting and the signature on the sales ticket will match.

Throw in a photo ID and the crackHo's have to actually work at using your card. And everybody knows the crackHo's want to avoid work.

StevieD

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> This would all be fixed if CC companies put your picture on your card.

SJActress

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> [www.zug.com] this is a hilarious prank that was done to prove that you can sign just about anything on a credit card receipt and it wont matter:

'EXPERIMENT 1.

I was visiting the New England Aquarium a few months back, where I was angry over the ridiculously steep entrance fees to go check out a bunch of fish. I can check out the fish for free at my local supermarket, where they are conveniently packed on ice, making them much easier to see than when they are hiding behind coral and rocks.

The only way I could think to fight back at the $40 admission charge was to sign my credit card receipt "Shamu." '

yesteryear

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> I can't find a link to any Discover Network merchant agreement similar to the Visa one. Can someone please post a link?

ribex

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> Scott is full of so much shit its unbelievable. I've been in (store level) management at two large chain electronics retailers, and neither had cameras trained on all registers, let alone any way to quickly and easily pull video from a register and some how send it to the credit card processor to "prove" we checked IDs. How ridiculous is that.

Hitchcock

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @barfoo:
So where do you draw the line? $140 to fill up my 38 Ford pickup fuel tank - or should this only apply to a $125 DVD player?

If the store wants to accept Visa/MasterCard and they have agreed to accept the cards without ID.....


camman68

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> To all those who say "use cash or show ID": Merchants can set conditions on their business, but they can not use Visa's credit card processing services and make ID a condition of credit card purchases. Authentication by signature is part of the service Visa provides their cardholders. Merchants can comply or go to cash (and maybe Discover and Diner's Club) only. How much clearer does it need to be for you?

iqag

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @spawnofbill:

Exactly, People just don't realize that when you show an ID, that you are protecting BOTH parties involved. Not just yourself.

inkdracula

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> FWIW, I signed the back of my cards "Ask for ID". If the cashier doesn't ask for ID, I sign the receipt "Ask for ID". About 20% of the time, the cashier that didn't ask for ID will compare the back of the card with the receipt, hand me my purchase, and wish me a good day.

Since I try to avoid the big-box chains and do business with the locally owned stores, I'm happy to give them ID when I'm making a purchase. I'm glad they won't let someone else use my card and the prices I pay don't go up to cover unnecessary losses. Even though I have a card with zero liability for fraudulent charges, if pulling out my ID saves me the headache of catching and reporting a bad charge and dealing with credit card customer service, I'm all for it.

stauffac

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> oh & btw... I dont sign the back of my credit card. I just dont care. I have only ever had one person give me grief for it.... and it was some asswipe cashier in england at a petrol station. I had bought petrol,a drink & a candy bar & this guy just about refused to take payment because I had not signed the back of a card. I showed him my driver's liciense & my fucking passport & he still gave me shit about it. All the while holding up the line. *Yeah... I came all the way from the US to england to fuck you out of petrol,a drink & a candybar!* I think he was just fucking with me because I am an american. I called him a miserable obstinant prick after he grudgenly accepted payment.

I had several other dealings with rude people in england. From the customs woman who grilled me on WHY I was visiting (& seemingly got off on doing so) ...to some rude woman in dover who insisted on correcting my pronunciation of "micDONalds" to the proper english way of pronouncing it "MACdonald's" (yeah, the hamburger joint.... I liked the curry chicken mcnugget dipping sauces! ... so shoot me! *shrug* )

forgottenpassword

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @eskimo81:

Thank you

StevieD

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @cartoa: I'm a waiter, and a cashier at a resturant. I make sure to check the back of the card. If I see no signature or Check ID on the back I ask for ID. I actually found someone trying to use a friends credit card one time.

akilshohen

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit Card Companies"]]> @eskimo81: Thanks for letting me know. I know I would have fought too and outright refused to pay that charge. If the bank wanted the money they'd have to deal with my police report and lawyer.

Buran

]]> <![CDATA[Retail Management: "We Have To Check ID Or We Get Screwed By Credit