Over Labor
Day weekend, I decided to take advantage of the sales and purchased some small household
appliances. In respect to the
national retailer, I wont say the name of the store, but they are very well
known for selling household items and Beyond!
After all
the discounts were applied to my purchases, the total amount ended up being
just under $100. I swiped my VISA
Debit card and the cashier asked to see my card (which I thought was strange
given it was a debit card), she looked at the back of my card, saw the card was
signed and handed back my card along with the receipt. I was never asked to show a drivers
license or other ID to show proof in any way that I was the proper card holder. Out of mere curiosity, I asked
the cashier how she knew I was the proper cardholder just because my card was
signed and her response was that as long as the card is signed, they arent
required to see a drivers license.
Im pretty
confident that my experience wasnt a glitch or anything of the sort. Im also not picking on one retailer; this
was just simply where I had the experience. Im sure the requirements are set forth by VISA, Master
Card, Discover, etc. and all retailers adhere to the minimum requirements to
speed up check-out lines in hopes of getting the 5 star review. Which sounds
good in theory, but in reality that creates an easy way for an identity thief
to make continual purchases on a stolen credit card. In fact, adhering only the
minimum guidelines, it becomes much easier for a stolen credit card to be used to
make purchases in-person, rather than trying to make a purchase onlinesounds
crazy, but true. Think about it,
many online retailers implement ID verification services,
such as those offered by EVS, to protect their customers against fraud. And
even if the online retailer doesnt engage in any specific fraud
prevention solutions, the buyer (using a stolen credit card) still has to
know the billing address of the card, try to ship the items to a drop location,
and overcome several other ordering challenges before being successful. In person, the same items can be
purchased and be on their way, no questions asked.
Im not sure
how retailers can prevent the use of stolen cards without following simple
fraud prevention guidelines, or if they even care. But I do know, with the
swipe of a card, someone could be on their way out the door with a few new
gifts from you.
[Contributed by Eric Knapp, Vice President of Client Services]
