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THIS IS A POLITICS-FREE ZONE.

News Article that urks me

manofmany

By manofmany
in VISA MC policies

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manofmany

manofmany

Posted
Posted
Indianapolis - While Metro Police continue to search for thieves who mugged an elderly woman and went on a shopping spree, there's another word of caution for everyone this holiday shopping season.

 

Police are still looking for a purse that belongs to a 72-year-old woman mugged in the Sam's Club parking lot on 86th Street near Michigan Road. The woman suffered a broken kneecap and a fractured arm trying to hold onto the purse. One of the few clues investigators have of the thieves is a photo taken by surveillance camera of one of the suspects -- a man using a stolen credit card with a woman's name on it. He left the Glendale Macy's with more than $800 worth of merchandise with no questions asked by the store clerk.

 

Authorities want store clerks to help them in the case by asking shoppers who pay with credit cards for proof of identification, and raise a red flag if the names don't match up.

 

"A lot of times, the merchants aren't checking ID's as well as they should," said IMPD Sergeant Matt Mount.

 

Eyewitness News took an undercover camera to several stores and found that few clerks are checking out identifications. At four of the five stores we went to never asked for identification, including the Macy's that had just handed over their surveillance to police.

 

"They can ask for identification to show that the driver's license and the picture matches the name on the credit card," Sgt. Mount said. "I think if that were to happen you'd cut back on a lot of fraud and theft that goes on."

 

Using a credit card from a co-worker named Steve, Eyewitness News reporter Cat Andersen picked up a sweater at Macy's, swiped the borrowed card, signed her name and left, no questions asked.

 

"You could probably sign 'Mickey Mouse' and they don't even pay attention to it," Sgt. Mount said.

 

At the Kohl's store near Keystone at the Crossing, it was the same story.

 

"You go to the store and make a purchase with a credit card, you usually slide it through," Sgt. Mount said. "They're just seeing if it's being accepted or not."

 

Andersen even asked the clerk at Kohl's if they checked ID. She simply answered "no".

 

When she tried to swipe the borrowed card at the Best Buy in Castleton, the clerk asked to see the card. She swiped it herself, but never noticed Steve's name on the card, or that the receipt slip was signed "Cat Andersen". The CD she purchased was bagged and handed over without a second thought.

 

At the 96th Street Wal-Mart, there was a slight snag when Steve's American Express card prompted the card reader to ask for his zip code. Asking a few people in line for a few local zip codes, Cat entered a few while the clerk patiently smiled, found one that worked and went on her way.

 

Only at the Old Navy store at Keystone was an ID requested, the clerk saying the name "Steve" caught her attention.

 

Eyewitness News contacted the corporate headquarters of all the stores, but none of them returned phone calls.

 

In the meantime, to keep you safe during the busy shopping season, police advise keeping a copy of all the items in your wallet at home. This way, if it's lost or stolen, you know exactly which cards to cancel, and the account numbers that go with them. This speeds up the process and raises a red flag on stolen credit cards right at the register in case the clerks don't catch it.

 

Police asking retailers to violate their merchant policy, how nice.


BBQ123

BBQ123

Posted
Posted

If your card was stolen you have zero-liability for fraud. The people who lose out are the merchants who fail to compare the signatures (or the card issuer, in some cases).

 

ID doesn't matter... what matters is that the signature on the back of the card matches the signature on the paper/screen.

Uncle Leo

Uncle Leo

Posted
Posted

To be fair, the police are probably simply ignorant about the policy, and not intending to thwart anything or anybody except criminals, which is perfectly understandable. Doesn't make it technically acceptable, of course... just sayin'.

BBQ123

BBQ123

Posted
Posted
I emailed the reporter...

 

If you get a response post it.

 

We need more reporters to run stories about how people showing ID or giving out info lead to identity theft.

larson0818

larson0818

Posted
Posted
Police asking retailers to violate their merchant policy, how nice.

Where's the violation?

A merchant can ASK to see your ID, but cannot REQUIRE it as a condition of sale.

Although Visa

rules do not preclude merchants from asking for cardholder ID, merchants

cannot make an ID a condition of acceptance. Therefore, merchants cannot

refuse to complete a purchase transaction because a cardholder refuses to

provide ID.

Continental

Continental

Posted
Posted

Merchants cannot require ID and should not ask for ID as part of their regular card acceptance procedures. So if you are ever asked for ID, immediately call 1-800-VISA-911 to ensure the practice is discontinued at once.

 

CREDIT CARD SIGNATURE IS ALL THE ID NEEDED

 

When you pay for merchandise with a Visa card, MasterCard, or American Express any store that accepts these cards should accept yours too, no questions asked. It's part of the deal that merchants agree to when they become participating members.

 

They must check your signature and the card - electronically or by telephone - to be sure it's valid. Once the answer comes up yes, they can go ahead and charge. They can't ask you for any further identification - not a license plate number, Social Security number, proof of address, phone number or picture ID.

 

Your personal ID isn't needed because Visa, MasterCard, and American Express all guarantee payment on cards that have been properly checked. If the issuer mistakenly authorizes a sale on a bad card, it should make good. MasterCard says that merchants receive instant settlement.

 

Unfortunately, not all merchants play by the rules. Some, apparently, haven't read them.

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

 

MasterCard wants to hear about merchants who break their rules. Send the name and address and an account of what happened to MasterCard International, c/o Radio City Station, P. O. Box 1288, New York, NY 10101. The merchant's bank will get a stiff letter, ordering it to investigate and bring the offending store into line - or pay a $2,000 fine.

 

Visa enforces the same rules as MasterCard. "When we hear about a violation, we ask the bank that signed the merchant to get together with the merchant and see that the practice is stopped," Visa representative states. To report a merchant, send a letter to the bank that issued your Visa card.

 

American Express also prohibits merchants from asking for IDs. "All a merchant is supposed to do is take an imprint, make sure the signature matches and swipe the card through the terminal, to get authorization."

  • 1 month later...
manofmany

manofmany

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hello manofmany,

 

 

Thanks for your feedback. Some retailers also pointed out the misperception created by the IMPD officer's comments - which could have led viewers to believe retailers had greater control of ID checks at point-of-sale than they actually do.

 

 

Clearly a gap exists between what police want done to catch credit/identity thieves and what retailers can legally do to help catch them. That was the thrust of Cat's story but obviously that message was not clear to you and others who viewed it.

 

 

I will pass your comments along.

 

 

Thanks and have a Merry Christmas,

 

 

 

Paul Stauder

 

Managing Editor

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