@Cmikul wrote:
so, this has always been a source of conflicting information and I've always been completely lost as to why credit card companies have a signature plate on the back of cards.
I know the CCC's have always said sign your card immediately upon reciept and this has never made sense to me.
I never sign them. I remember about 20yrs ago it would be a huge source of argument at vendors. I would have vendors tell me the card was not valid without a signature and they would not accept it.
I would insist that I do not sign cards for the express intent that they should be asking me for my I.D. with my card and that will verify my likeness and my signature on the I.D. should match what I sign in front of them on the reciept.
I've always held the belief that if you sign it you just made it easy for someone to forge your signature since they now know just how it should look.
I think this conflict is really a mute point in today's world as no one pays attention to any of it....what's on the card or what I sign. I let my kids sign most of my receipts.
But I remember when I was younger you could fight a transaction with the CCC and show them that your signature was not accurate and they would dismiss it.
Anyway...any thoughts?
My point exactly!
Techincally, MC/Visa tells merchants that they should go off the sig on the back of your card and they are technically not suppose to ask for your ID (Amex doesn't care, and Discover wasn't popular for me to know back than what their policy is, when I worked retail).
Personally, I have never had a problem with this except for two places. But that's also because 99% of my shopping is done online, or via restaurants (who I think are always too busy to ask), or small transactions at cafes and such and the amount in the transaction is too small for them to give a hoot.
BUT, ironially enough, while I can ring up a few hundred at anthro, I always run into a problem at H&M-- however, most of the cashiers would just want to see another form of card, usually another CC.
Post office..horrible...except for one friendly person at a particular post office...which I always go to now.
I mean, my cc info has been stolen only ONCE in the past decade, and, it was done either with a scanner or virtually (probably scanner) so the card was still in my possession and they just made a copy of it..which they can sub in the name for theirs on the card to use their own ID/Fake ID...or just sign the back...
I just set all my cards to alert me of any transaction over $1. It's the best defense, because if folks want to steal your info, they will steal your info. You can only take caution, and put safeguards to alert yourself to prevent further damage, from the initial breach.
