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Store’s can’t require you to show ID for credit card purchases

From the world of The Consumerist comes an interesting article in the age of privacy, security and identity theft: Store’s Can’t Force You to Show ID with Your Credit Card.

How often are you asked for ID and does anyone even check the signature? A few years I randomly signed a few credit card receipts with a signature that didn’t match just to see if anyone was paying attention. For the most part, no one ever checked, besides that it was signed with something, even if it was a made up name.

One of the comments (which there are many, over 150 at the moment):
Try this next time you’re asked for ID and report your experience. 8 times out of 10 you’ll probably not be able to complete the transaction. And if you think VISA or MC is going to cut off, e.g. Target because of a violation, you’re high.

Another:
The majority of the time cc transactions are going to be non-fraudulent, but having stores check ID’s against a cc helps in that small percentage where both the store and some poor guy are going to get ripped off.

I understand why stores ask for it, since they will usually have to cover any charge backs, and I also have friends who have written on their credit cards “Ask for ID” like a few commenters suggested. Some of my friends have had identity theft problems and that can be a huge headache to sort out everything.

Earlier this year we started paying cash for common purchases like groceries, dining, etc, but still use our credit card for things like gas (for the pay at the pump convenience), online or major purchases and when we don’t have cash with us.

For the next month or so I’m going to see how many people really check the signature and if they ask for ID, I’m going to see what happens if I decline to show it. Let me know if you try this experiment and your results.

Technorati Tags: credit card, security, identity theft, fraud, privacy, Visa, Consumerist