Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal identifying information without your permission. This information may include your name, address, driver's license number, Social Security number, mother's maiden name, birth date, or financial information such as your bank account, credit card, or PIN number. An identity thief may obtain your identifying information by stealing credit card applications, bank statements, or checks from your trash or mail, finding your lost or stolen wallet or purse, hacking your credit card number from a corporate database, or stealing your information from inside a company that holds it.

http://www.oag.state.tx.us/consumer/idtheft.shtml

So if you show your ID they now have:

1) Name
2) Address
3) Driver's License #
4) Social Security # [some states]
5) Birth Date
6) Credit Card # and Expiration Date

That is quite the bit of information... and only #1 and #6 came from the credit card. The rest is from that ID you showed.

assuming they can memorize that information in the 2 seconds they have the card in their hands.


VERY unlikely


your link doesn't apply to ID checking at all... so your point is really a stretch

What about when that information is recorded or entered into a computer?

How about if they make a copy or scan of the Driver's License and/or the credit card? [I know of a place that does recurring billing to credit cards and they copy the credit card's front with the name, cc# and expiration date -- they do not copy or ask for ID -- but the sheepwould just hand it over if asked]

*illegal means it violates the law. A business contract is not a law.