I got my debit card stolen...

[Tomahawk674]

Last tusday it must have fallen out of my wallet. I kept it in the same place as my student ID, so it must have slipped out as I was taking out my ID on the school campus.

I found out after my bank left a message about some suspicious activity: Whoever stole it went to a local gas station to test the card. After they saw it worked, they went to walmart and charged $159, then $450, then they tried for $487 but it was already blocked, then they went to Mcdonalds and tried to spend $5.15 but again, it was blocked.

Filled out the police report, etc. Now it's all up to the Bank inverstigator and the police. I'm hoping that they show up clearly on walmart's cameras. I'm pretty sure it was another college student, a dumb one, to say the least...

I'm not too stressed about it, the I'm not liable for any charges, and the transactions weren't aproved so nothing was drawn from my account. Still...

 

[Henning]

I'm not too stressed about it, the I'm not liable for any charges, and the transactions weren't aproved so nothing was drawn from my account. Still...

That sucks. I always wondered who's left on the hook? Is it insurance, or do they hand the retailer with it?

 

[Tomahawk674]

I think the bank takes the hit. However they will try whatever they can to make up the losses; if they catch the culprit, they'll make him/her pay.

 

[Richard]

How were they able to use your card? Mine are either password protected or it says, SEE ID, in place of signature on the back. If the retailer does not verify, they are on the hook.

 

[Tomahawk674]

Mine didn't say check ID or anything of the sort. If you have it in your hand you can use it, just swipe, sign and go. I need to get a better card...

 

[jesse]

How were they able to use your card? Mine are either password protected or it says, SEE ID, in place of signature on the back. If the retailer does not verify, they are on the hook.

"SEE ID" is discouraged by the credit card companies. I'm not entirely sure why but they do make it quite clear. I would never accept a card without a signature or with "SEE ID" when I worked retail as they would have our ass if we didn't follow the rules to the tee.

Right next to your "SEE ID" You'll see "AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE / NOT VALID UNLESS SIGNED".

Visa states:

If the card has a “See ID” in place of a signature…

1. Request a signature. Ask the cardholder to sign the card and provide current government identification, such as a driver's license or passport (if local law permits).
2. Check the signature. Be sure that the signature on the card matches the one on the transaction receipt and the additional identification.

If the signatures appear reasonably the same and the authorization request is approved, go ahead and complete the transaction.

http://usa.visa.com/merchants/risk_management/card_present.html?it=Search

 

[Richard]

What Jesse posted is all part of the verification process. I am thrilled if the merchant should take those steps. Sadly, my experience is about 1 in 100 merchants actually check ID or sig. That is when I ask them what is their policy on verification. So far, ALL have said their ass would be in a sling yet....

 

[CJones]

When we went to Hawaii for our honeymoon, I wrote "ASK FOR ID" in large letters on the back of our new debit/credit card that we were to use for the majority of the expenses of the trip. Not ONCE did I get asked for ID. 75% of the people actually flipped the card over as if they were looking for a signature, but even they didn't ask for a ID. *sigh*

 

[tonycondon]

lately i havent even had to sign for most of my credit/debit card purchases

 

[CJones]

lately i havent even had to sign for most of my credit/debit card purchases

Depends on where you go, Tony. At Kum-and-Go, anything under $25 you don't have to sign for. Everywhere else so far I've had to sign I think. I'm not sure if it's a K-n-G policy or if the other places just aren't up to speed on things yet.

 

[tonycondon]

yea i think thats it chris, small purchases

 

[infotango]

That sucks. I always wondered who's left on the hook? Is it insurance, or do they hand the retailer with it?

The merchant is left holding the bag as well as the cost of the charge backs.
Things get complicated when the merchant is the one who is a fraud...

 

[wbarnhill]

Zug has a few credit card pranks which show just how little retailers care about you and how much they care about money.

http://www.zug.com/pranks/credit/

http://www.zug.com/pranks/credit_card/

 

[ScottM]

What Jesse posted is all part of the verification process. I am thrilled if the merchant should take those steps. Sadly, my experience is about 1 in 100 merchants actually check ID or sig. That is when I ask them what is their policy on verification. So far, ALL have said their ass would be in a sling yet....

Mine too and I have written about my experiences at Best BUy before so I will not bore you all again with that.

That stinks about your card being stolen. My cousin had her's stolen at her husband's wake. Her house was hit by thieves when she was at the wake. They got her credit cards and of course a bunch of other stuff. They also have great video of the people using her card. But alas without an id on who those people are the police have no one to look for. With the amount of work that the police have to do the only way these guys will be caught is if they make a mistake and then they will add the charges stealing form her to what ever they get booked with.

 

[wbarnhill]

What Jesse posted is all part of the verification process. I am thrilled if the merchant should take those steps. Sadly, my experience is about 1 in 100 merchants actually check ID or sig. That is when I ask them what is their policy on verification. So far, ALL have said their ass would be in a sling yet....

Anytime I worked retail I always checked ID unless the person was a regular and I'd checked times before. Some people were shocked, some people were pleased, and some people were actually upset because they didn't have their ID on them. Working in a camera shop where purchases could easily reach the thousands, I would respectfully decline to process the transaction unless they had ID.

With more self service touchpads (so the clerk never has to look at the card or the name on the card) and more merchants not even asking for a signature (Burger King, Panera Bread, and a few other "small purchase" places have done this around here) I suspect it's gotten easier for someone with a stolen credit card to get away with their purchases.

 

[wsuffa]

Last tusday it must have fallen out of my wallet. I kept it in the same place as my student ID, so it must have slipped out as I was taking out my ID on the school campus.

I'm not too stressed about it, the I'm not liable for any charges, and the transactions weren't aproved so nothing was drawn from my account. Still...

Well, that stinks....

Were I you, I'd immediately contact all three credit bureaus and put a "fraud alert" on your credit record. That helps to reduce the chance that someone will open new credit in your name. A couple of months down the road, make sure you pull a credit report (which should be free) to make sure there's no fraudulent activity.

Also make sure the bank has a policy that you're not held responsible for charges. Unlike credit cards, there is NO legal obligation on the part of banks to make you non-liable. Most banks do offer that as a policy, but they're not required to by law.

 

[ejensen]

My signature on those stupid pads doesn't resemble English let alone my real sig.

 

[gismo]

I've been putting "See ID" on all my CCs for years and I only had a retailer insist they had to be signed once, and that includes several purchases at Best Buy. The one time issue was at some store I can't remember and when I said I'd simply make my purchase at a competitor they dropped the "must be signed" attitude.

The thing is, putting your sig on the CC provides absolutely no protection as few if any clerks can tell a forgery from the real thing and signing the card just guarantees that anyone stealing or finding your card by itself has something to practice with. Any store that requires the card be signed is just plain stupid, and won't get my business.

 

[tdager]

I've been putting "See ID" on all my CCs for years and I only had a retailer insist they had to be signed once, and that includes several purchases at Best Buy. The one time issue was at some store I can't remember and when I said I'd simply make my purchase at a competitor they dropped the "must be signed" attitude.

The thing is, putting your sig on the CC provides absolutely no protection as few if any clerks can tell a forgery from the real thing and signing the card just guarantees that anyone stealing or finding your card by itself has something to practice with. Any store that requires the card be signed is just plain stupid, and won't get my business.

Bingo! I never understood the whole signature vs. ID thing.

Hell mine are not even signed, the clerks all flip them over and still run them! I would rather they compare my picture and name with the name on the card.

 

[Everskyward]

I'm not too stressed about it, the I'm not liable for any charges, and the transactions weren't aproved so nothing was drawn from my account. Still...

I understand completely. If it makes you feel any better, the day after Thanksgiving last year I had my wallet stolen while out of town with every every cent and every piece of identification I had except for my passport (luckily). This included my drivers license, numerous credit cards, pilot's certificates, which I had never changed from my SS number, and my medical. Luckily I was able to notify everyone before anything got charged and nothing unusual has happened with my accounts in the past 6 months. Reconstructing everything was a PITA but I guess I was lucky. The only thing I really lost was the cash.

 

[Richard]

Bingo! I never understood the whole signature vs. ID thing.

Hell mine are not even signed, the clerks all flip them over and still run them! I would rather they compare my picture and name with the name on the card.

A big reason why I put SEE ID on the back is to prevent someone from writing in their own sig. To X out the sig block, as it were.

 

[ejensen]

I asked a clerk once how much handwriting analysis training she'd had. Blank stare.

 

[wbarnhill]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/06/15/MNG77QG0G11.DTL

Thought this might be relevant to the conversation... ID Thief caught by victim... it's a shame the thief only got more probation. Bah.

 

[mikea]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/06/15/MNG77QG0G11.DTL

Thought this might be relevant to the conversation... ID Thief caught by victim... it's a shame the thief only got more probation. Bah.

That's why she had a big grin on her face.

WHEN are the courts and financial institutions gonna take ID theft seriously?

The consensus is if you get that close to your teef, grind them into a very small package. If there are repercussions just claim temporary insanity.

I once stood veryclose to the dude who had just made my pants do a dance trying with no luck to get my very fat wallet from my very tight pants when the door closed leaving him standing on th train behind me. He was fortunate that I was mellow. I could still tell he wished the next train stop would come faster. I should've accidentally and repeatedly introduced his head to the glass in the train door.

 

[woodstock]

"

Visa states:

If the card has a “See ID” in place of a signature…

1. Request a signature. Ask the cardholder to sign the card and provide current government identification, such as a driver's license or passport (if local law permits).
2. Check the signature. Be sure that the signature on the card matches the one on the transaction receipt and the additional identification.

If the signatures appear reasonably the same and the authorization request is approved, go ahead and complete the transaction.

anyone else see anything wrong with this picture?

 

[Skip Miller]

anyone else see anything wrong with this picture?

Yabut every credit card company considers it very bad for business to refuse a legitimate purchase. Since the ratio of legit vs. illegit purchases is so high, their first reaction is to accept... and sort out the problems later.

-Skip

 

[Henning]

Zug has a few credit card pranks which show just how little retailers care about you and how much they care about money.

http://www.zug.com/pranks/credit/

http://www.zug.com/pranks/credit_card/

That was hilarious, but irrellevant, it doesn't have to be your signature, just an authorized signature, and I have no Idea how they figure that out. I make large purchases with other peoples credit cards all the time spending thousands of dollars on fuel and even tens of thousands on engines. I've had other peoples credit cards in my wallet for years at a time.

 

[woodstock]

Yabut every credit card company considers it very bad for business to refuse a legitimate purchase. Since the ratio of legit vs. illegit purchases is so high, their first reaction is to accept... and sort out the problems later.

-Skip

What I mean is - they are asking you to sign both the card and the receipt at the same time! "make sure they match either other"? errrr, if someone signs two items, one after another - is there any doubt the signatures won't match?

the photo ID they are also asking for makes sense - and net net exactly what you will get when you write "see ID" on the card itself.

 

[mikea]

What I mean is - they are asking you to sign both the card and the receipt at the same time! "make sure they match either other"? errrr, if someone signs two items, one after another - is there any doubt the signatures won't match?...

When I worked in a hot dog stand as a teen I once tried to explain to lady that she was supposed to sign the top line of ALL of the traveler's checks immediately. Signing the top and bottom of each when you used them didn't serve the purpose. She would not get it.

 

[gismo]

A big reason why I put SEE ID on the back is to prevent someone from writing in their own sig. To X out the sig block, as it were.

Ditto.

 

[gprellwitz]

Wasn't it Citibank a few years ago that had an option to have your photo on the front of the credit card? That seems like a VERY smart thing to do, though it obviously makes CC distribution much higher. The same problem the FAA is having with photos on pilot certificates!

 

[Henning]

Wasn't it Citibank a few years ago that had an option to have your photo on the front of the credit card? That seems like a VERY smart thing to do, though it obviously makes CC distribution much higher. The same problem the FAA is having with photos on pilot certificates!

One of my clients credit cards that I have is one of those, we don't even look similar. I spent $9000 ove 4 days, no problems.

 

[battmain]

How were they able to use your card? Mine are either password protected or it says, SEE ID, in place of signature on the back. If the retailer does not verify, they are on the hook.

I tried that on one of my cards. Out of the three years I had it, I think I could count on two hands the amount of people that asked for id.
Besides, now they don't need your card. A card reader at a restaurant can do wonders.

 

[gprellwitz]

What I mean is - they are asking you to sign both the card and the receipt at the same time! "make sure they match either other"? errrr, if someone signs two items, one after another - is there any doubt the signatures won't match?

the photo ID they are also asking for makes sense - and net net exactly what you will get when you write "see ID" on the card itself.

No, not a problem (theoretically). Read again where they're asking the vendor to compare the signature:

Be sure that the signature on the card matches the one on the transaction receipt and the additional identification.

(emphasis mine.

 

[jesse]

I'm not saying I agree with Visa's policy on "SEE ID". I'm just saying that's their opinion they push to all their merchants. Their merchants push that on their employees and their employees follow the rules in order to afford ramen once they get home.

 

[woodstock]

No, not a problem (theoretically). Read again where they're asking the vendor to compare the signature:
(emphasis mine.

right - but why not just ask for the ID in the first place? The thing is, if I don't write "SEE ID" on my card - I'm never asked for the ID to begin with - in fact many times even with that on the card I'm not asked for ID. I can understand my local Starbucks not asking me for ID each morning - but if I go to Best Buy or something I'd expect it. (then again I am sure I don't look like someone who just stole a credit card, I guess).

Instead of comparing signatures on the transaction receipt to the card itself (especially when signed in front of you) why not just make it a policy - ID every time.

 

[gprellwitz]

Unfortunately, the sad truth seems to be that no matter what we do, lackadaisical attitudes on the part of many of the clerks mean that the identity of the purchaser won't be checked. I mean, note Henning's experiences even when the card itself had a picture on it! I think that the only way to get this to work would be to make the merchant responsible for any fraud if they failed to check the ID and/or signature. Then they could push that responsibility down to the clerks who are hands on with the customer. They're the ones with the power to stop the fraud at the beginning. The credit card companies can play a significant role by monitoring purchasing trends, since they already have a vast database of our personal buying habits. And that is something that they do pursue.

right - but why not just ask for the ID in the first place? The thing is, if I don't write "SEE ID" on my card - I'm never asked for the ID to begin with - in fact many times even with that on the card I'm not asked for ID. I can understand my local Starbucks not asking me for ID each morning - but if I go to Best Buy or something I'd expect it. (then again I am sure I don't look like someone who just stole a credit card, I guess).

Instead of comparing signatures on the transaction receipt to the card itself (especially when signed in front of you) why not just make it a policy - ID every time.

 

[Skip Miller]

Wasn't it Citibank a few years ago that had an option to have your photo on the front of the credit card? That seems like a VERY smart thing to do, though it obviously makes CC distribution much higher. The same problem the FAA is having with photos on pilot certificates!

In an early test of photo ID credit cards, the bank I was working at at the time issued test cards with photos of Adolf Hitler or George Washington on them. The bank officers carrying these cards had no problems whatsoever using them. And this is when credit cards were new and a novelty at many merchants.

Today, fuggedaboudit. Like the TSA screening at airports, it security in the eyes of the card carrier and does close to nothing to help security.

-Skip

 

[jesse]

In an early test of photo ID credit cards, the bank I was working at at the time issued test cards with photos of Adolf Hitler or George Washington on them. The bank officers carrying these cards had no problems whatsoever using them. And this is when credit cards were new and a novelty at many merchants.

Which of course was a worthless test that proved nothing. Every American out there knows what Hitler or Washington looks like. They know damn well neither of them are alive and probably assumed that it was just a novelty picture. I'd like to see how it was worded on the card.

The truth of the matter is 99.99% of the people handling credit card transactions simply do not care. They are making enough money to buy food and barely survive in their parents basement. They are not being paid to be analyzing signatures which is a good thing.

 

[wbarnhill]

The truth of the matter is 99.99% of the people handling credit card transactions simply do not care. They are making enough money to buy food and barely survive in their parents basement. They are not being paid to be analyzing signatures which is a good thing.

Analyzing signatures is one thing. Asking a simple question of "Can I see your ID?" and checking names and the photo with the person standing in front of you is another. Personally I enjoyed my job in retail when I had it, so I had no problem with going the extra mile to make sure that at least I covered all the bases when dealing with customers making large purchases. I understand someone who didn't like their job or just needed money to buy some ramen might not be so inclined, but if that is the case, they should be looking for different work. In the day and age we live in, basic steps like verifying ID won't stop all of the ID Theft jerks, but it will stop some, particularly when they go to make that big purchase.