Why bother signing your credit card receipt at all?

Interesting and entertaining, and perhaps even worth a shot:

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Reply to
Andrew DeFaria
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"Andrew DeFaria" wrote

Being 6'-2" tall, and finding the elect. signature pads at check-out lines positioned awkwardly for me, I make no attempt at legibility with my signature. I usually move my pen randomly a create a wavy line that looks like heart rhythm in fibrillation. If I'm in a mood I put an "X" or a paw print. Only once has anyone asked to verify my signature; I think it was at Wal-mart -- after glancing at my card, the cashier said nothing further.

Many establishments with normally small purchases (gas stations, Booger King, Taco Smell, etc.) have no provisions for a signature -- at least not here.

Reply to
Rick Hess

Yes but wouldn't be a lot more fun signing it as Mikey Mouse? I wonder, where this guy was buying a large plasma TV and signing it "Not Authorized", if one could argue it was not you and not be required to pay? Of course he didn't get away with that "Not Authorized" for the plasma TV not by all indications he got away with a lot. I wonder how much he ended up paying for...

Reply to
Andrew DeFaria

I love that site. Thanks for the link. :D

Reply to
Sweet Andy Licious

Andrew DeFaria said

This guy is my hero. ;-D

Reply to
Homer.Simpson

Why thank you! :-[

Oh! You meant the guy with that site! ;-)

Reply to
Andrew DeFaria

Andrew DeFaria wrote in news:hGM%d.11777$m31.122822 @typhoon.sonic.net:

Andrew... that's really funny... as is your tag line.

I laughed until I cried on some of those exploits.

Reply to
speedlever

As I understand it the signature verification actually protects the merchant, because if a transaction turns out to be fraudulent, it is charged back to the merchant. Some have figured out that the verification process isn't worth it if there isn't that much at risk.

An interesting example of this is Walgreen's Pharmacy. They don't require a signature for purchases of Rx medicine under $50.00. I suppose the reasoning goes something like this:

  1. The risk of someone else fraudulently picking up my Rx medication is already fixed and acceptably low.
  2. Assuming it's me picking it up, I'd be uber-stupid to use a stolen credit card because they know who I am, where I live, and all kinds of details because they bill my insurance for their part.

Finally, there are so many "card not present" transactions, swipes at the gas pump etc. anyway, I'm not sure what the proportion of signature transactions would be.

How many remember the days when you bought gas with a credit card you signed the slip AND they wrote down your license plate number. How times do change.

Reply to
Jim Nugent

All my credit cards have "SEE PHOTO ID" in the signature box.

Notan

Reply to
Notan

Who's picture did you use?

Reply to
danbrown

Be careful. I've read of some stores/chains that will NOT accept cards without valid signatures ON THE CARD ITSELF.

To be honest, signatures are becoming useless. More and more stores use those stupid electronic things that 99% of the time are unreadable.

To make things more fun, there are stories today about a new card with a form of RFID on it. You just wave it in front of a reader. Nice. Now some thief can put a reader in their pants or a bag, and stand next to you, or maybe bump you, and instantly read your card(s).

Reply to
Andrew Rossmann

Once you sign into a computer you can no longer claim a signature is not yours. That's because digitized signature can be reproduced at will and look identical to the original. So something could happen such as: an unscrupulous buyer for something you are selling claims he paid you and presents his check with your "signature" on the back. This proves you accepted his payment.

I have never signed into a machine, anywhere, ever. You might forge my signature, but you will have to work at it.

Reply to
William W. Plummer

Who's claiming that? And what is "sign[ing] into a computer" (normally thought of as logging in) and a "signature" have to do with each other? What is this "signature" you speak of? Oh I think I get it now - you mean the thing of signing your name on a computer screen. Well the article I pointed to was not focused solely on that rather anytime you sign for any credit purchase - including signing a piece of paper.

I'm not sure what you mean by digitized signature. You mean the one you signed into a computer screen? How is that radically different than one signed on a piece of paper that is later scanned? If not much different than we can say that any signature can be reproduced at will and look identical to the original - hence signatures are not a reliable identifying mechanism - and never have been.

Hand written signatures (or digitized copies) are hardly an exact science nor a very good proof IMHO. Handwriting is just not that good of a prove. Of course, did you read the URL I posted? It kinda confirmed that by pointing out that signatures are by and large, simply ignored.

If you have signed your name at all, and I suspect you have, it can easily be scanned by any scanner.

Reply to
Andrew DeFaria

I'm often surprised by some of the false sense of privacy people have. Ask someone: "would you give a total stranger the name and address of your bank, your bank account number, and all the routing codes needed to take money out of your account electronically?"

Then ask them: "Have you ever given anyone a check drawn on your checking account?"

Doug

Reply to
Doug Ellice

Notan said, more or less, as follows on 5/19/2005 6:08 PM: {SNIP}

Some places (for example the US Postal Service) will simply refuse to honor such cards.

Reply to
RWEmerson

Make that *some* Post Offices.

I was just at one, yesterday, and had no problems using a credit card, without a signature.

Notan

Reply to
Notan

Same here, since my sig becomes illegible rather quickly. P.O. doesn't have a problem with my card.

I thought "SEE PHOTO ID" sounded like a good idea!

Reply to
Rick Hess

On Thu 19 May 2005 07:08:29p, Notan wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@ddress.com:

times do change.

I put "ATM Only" on my debit cards (not that they look at them) and have signed many credit slips as Mickey Mouse. I will try at some time, signing Not Authorized just to see what happens (maybe after dinner at a pricey restaurant).

On those screen devices, my signature looks so retarded, even if I write slowly that I have been using my impression of a doctor when signing all credit slips and screens. (I am sure this type of thing has probably led to guys getting breast implants instead of their appendix removed).

Reply to
Mike L

Reply to
John Cross

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