With identity theft on the rise, one would think that retailers would be taking extra steps to protect against it, but many retailers seem to be doing the complete opposite.

I see way less retailers asking for ID now than I did 10-15 years ago.  I'd say out of 10 regular places that I go and pay with plastic, only one or two ever ask for ID... and within the last year or two, McDonalds, Starbucks and Arby's have changed their practice -  now they don't even ask you to sign anything... they just swipe your card and send you on your way.

I admit to enjoying the convenience of not having to dig my driver's license out everytime I buy something, but at the same time it kind of concerns me. :-\\

Do merchants have any legal accountability for accepting fraudulent/stolen checks and credit cards?

I agree that they are making things very convienant but they are also making it very convienant for those who like to use other people's identities. I don't recall the last time (if ever) I was asked for my ID when using my credit card (which I do A LOT). That could be because here in our little town, they know me-but if I go someone else, I have NEVER been asked for my ID.

*Side note: It really bugs the hell out of me when people ask to see my driver's licence for my ID. My driver's licence gives me the right to DRIVE not the right to cash checks, etc. I have a government, picture ID that says who I am. My driver's licence doesn't even have my picture on it (not required in this state). I was once refused to write a check because I didn't have a driver's licence at the time and they wouldn't accept my GOVERNMENT ISSUED ID.  >:( 

Ok, end of rant.



Cat

I agree that they are making things very convienant but they are also making it very convienant for those who like to use other people's identities. I don't recall the last time (if ever) I was asked for my ID when using my credit card (which I do A LOT). That could be because here in our little town, they know me-but if I go someone else, I have NEVER been asked for my ID.

*Side note: It really bugs the hell out of me when people ask to see my driver's licence for my ID. My driver's licence gives me the right to DRIVE not the right to cash checks, etc. I have a government, picture ID that says who I am. My driver's licence doesn't even have my picture on it (not required in this state). I was once refused to write a check because I didn't have a driver's licence at the time and they wouldn't accept my GOVERNMENT ISSUED ID.  >:( 

Ok, end of rant.



Cat


Yeah, that is ridiculous... it just seems like if something mysteriously appeared on your bill, you'd have a hard time proving you didn't make the purchase if nobody has signed anything, showed ID or entered a pin....

If you write the words "see I.D." on  the back of the card they are supposed to check the ID of anyone using the card.
That very rarely happens.

Half the time, I don't even bother to sign the back of my card.  :-[




Cat

The Man wouldn't let me have a credit card even if I wanted one!  I have debit, but I pay cash as often as I can.  Let them steal Washington's and Jackson's identities for all I care!
;D

Heck, if somebody DID steal my identity, joke's on them. Now you're ****ed!
::)

But you seem to miss the very concept of "Identity Theft".

This is not simply the stealing of a person's credit cards.  Identity Theft is much harder to prevent.

In this case, somebody creates a "Duplicate" of somebody else.  They get copies of Social Security cards and Birth Certificates.  They then often even get a legal state ID card or Drivers License.  With that in hand, they then apply for multiple lines of credit.  Credit Cards, Car Loans, even cash loans.  They simply free-load on the other person's credit history.

They will do this for an average of 3-6 months, then move on and find another identity to steal.

The problem happens much later, when the creditors are not getting paid, and do a credit check, to find the person's last known address.  This normally points back to the person who's ID was stollen, and they get stuck for the bills.

There is a lesser form of Identity Theft.  This is done most of the time by criminals, who want to hide their past.  It may be a felony conviction, it may be because they are fugitives.  And a newer class is those who want to hide they fact that they are Registered Sex Offenders.  These normally do not damage the credit, they simply use it as a name to hide under.

Identity theft is simply impossible for retailers to detect.  They almost always have legal ID to go with it, and the credit cards and lines of credit are legitimate.  This is very different from say a stollen credit card, which most times an ID check will detect.

Happened to a friends daughter, and it was her cousin who did it.  Got hold of her drivers license with her social security number on it
and went crazy shopping, and even picked up by police for something and used her name on the arrest form.  What a mess cleaning
it up.  Eventually they got it straightened out, but the cousin, well, there is a lost cause.

Happened to a friends daughter, and it was her cousin who did it.  Got hold of her drivers license with her social security number on it
and went crazy shopping, and even picked up by police for something and used her name on the arrest form.  What a mess cleaning
it up.  Eventually they got it straightened out, but the cousin, well, there is a lost cause.



One of my best friends has a sister like that.  I don't know if she stole her identity, but she did steal her $$$ to buy her drugs.  ::)




Cat

Happened to a friends daughter, and it was her cousin who did it.  Got hold of her drivers license with her social security number on it
and went crazy shopping, and even picked up by police for something and used her name on the arrest form.  What a mess cleaning
it up.  Eventually they got it straightened out, but the cousin, well, there is a lost cause.


It's happened to me once, although I still don't know what happened.  When I went to get a mortgage loan, there was a $700 unpaid phone bill on my record... and when I investigated it, I had never heard of the phone number or the address associated with it.  I told the phone company to either send me a copy of something i signed authorizing them to bill me, or any proof whatsoever that I had some connection to the address on the bills.  Of course, they couldn't... but they still wouldn't remove the charges.  I had to pay the damn thing otherwise the interest would have gone up before I could get it straightened out, and it would have cost me much more than the $700.    So I guess you can call the phone company, give a random name, and open an account.  No signature, no proof of residence, no recorded phone call.

They should give people the death penalty for stealing identities...but then they'd end up convicting and executing YOU!!!
:o

I take it in America you don't have 'chip and pin' which is what we have in the U.K now. Basically you don't sign for a purchase anymore. Your card has a unique microchip on it which is linked to your unique pin number which you type into a keypad at the till into which yiu put your card. Aparently it has cut card fraud dramatically.
Identity fraud is another thing though and is still pretty huge. You have people going through garbage bags to find letters or bills with your name and address on.

I take it in America you don't have 'chip and pin' which is what we have in the U.K now. Basically you don't sign for a purchase anymore. Your card has a unique microchip on it which is linked to your unique pin number which you type into a keypad at the till into which yiu put your card. Aparently it has cut card fraud dramatically.


We have the 'pin' option on atm cards, but not on credit cards.  Basically you can in most places use your atm card as a credit card (where you usually will be asked to sign but not asked to enter your pin) or you can use it as a debit card, where you enter your pin but you don't have to sign.  Some places charge a fee if you use the 'debit' option though...

My stepdaughter had her identity stollen.  And we have no idea how it was done, but it happened sometime around 1990.  She was 8 at that time.

The problem was not identified until 1999, when she had to apply for her first Tax Return.  She got this letter back from the IRS, stating that she underreported her earnings, and was fined an additional $37,000.  What happened then was a beaurocratic nightmare, of trying to explain that she had never been to Texas. which is where the person useing her Social Security number was working.

After almost 2 years, they finally assigned her a new SSN, and cleaned up her record of owing back taxes.  Because according to records, she had been working already for over 8 years.

We were told that the ID was being used by at least 2 illegal aliens, and that she also had money owed under several different lines of credit.  Luckily, since she had never worked under that number, it was fairly easy to replace it.

My stepdaughter had her identity stollen.  And we have no idea how it was done, but it happened sometime around 1990.  She was 8 at that time.

The problem was not identified until 1999, when she had to apply for her first Tax Return.  She got this letter back from the IRS, stating that she underreported her earnings, and was fined an additional $37,000.  What happened then was a beaurocratic nightmare, of trying to explain that she had never been to Texas. which is where the person useing her Social Security number was working.

After almost 2 years, they finally assigned her a new SSN, and cleaned up her record of owing back taxes.  Because according to records, she had been working already for over 8 years.

We were told that the ID was being used by at least 2 illegal aliens, and that she also had money owed under several different lines of credit.  Luckily, since she had never worked under that number, it was fairly easy to replace it.


That's really sad... I've heard of parents who have done that to their own kid's credit...

One of hubby's relatives stole his son's identity and used it to rack up HUGE debts.  I don't see how a parent could do that to a child.  Now, his son just graduated college with a degree in finance and can't even get a job in the field because his credit is so messed up.


That's really horrible. I don't understand that. Even if things are desperate, that doesn't seem the way to go.

With identity theft on the rise, one would think that retailers would be taking extra steps to protect against it, but many retailers seem to be doing the complete opposite.

I see way less retailers asking for ID now than I did 10-15 years ago.  I'd say out of 10 regular places that I go and pay with plastic, only one or two ever ask for ID... and within the last year or two, McDonalds, Starbucks and Arby's have changed their practice -  now they don't even ask you to sign anything... they just swipe your card and send you on your way.

I admit to enjoying the convenience of not having to dig my driver's license out everytime I buy something, but at the same time it kind of concerns me. :-\\

Do merchants have any legal accountability for accepting fraudulent/stolen checks and credit cards?


This is a good point.

I'm guilty of doing it all the time.
I've borrowed (with permission) friends cards and used them and have also lent people mine. (Like if I'm going to the store for something and somebody wants me to pick up a few things, I'll just use their card and give em $10 or whatever)

It's so easy. Even when somebody asks for a signature, I'll just scrawl something down and they won't even look at it.

One of hubby's relatives stole his son's identity and used it to rack up HUGE debts.  I don't see how a parent could do that to a child.  Now, his son just graduated college with a degree in finance and can't even get a job in the field because his credit is so messed up.


That is really sad... I hope he's able to clear it up somehow... if he was younger than 18 at the time, he may have a way out, since a minor can't legally enter into a contract... at least, here in CA anyway...

That's really sad... I've heard of parents who have done that to their own kid's credit...



Years ago, we had one of our "tenants from hell" living here. She just had a baby about 5 or so months prior to moving in. She told me that she put some of her accounts into her baby's name (like the phone, electricty, etc) so she wouldn't be harrassed or something like that. It wasn't until we had her evicted and she left mega stuff behind that I discovered out why. She left a bunch of papers and I started going through them. I discovered that she owed the IRS $$$, along with a lot of other people (like us  ::) ). She had seriously bad credit and probably couldn't get accounts in her own name so she was destroying her baby's credit before the kid could even talk.  >:( >:( >:(




Cat

Its interesting that retailers rarely ask for ID with credit cards.  But I once was asked for ID while paying with cash.  I didn't give any.

Its interesting that retailers rarely ask for ID with credit cards.  But I once was asked for ID while paying with cash.  I didn't give any.


Did it have something to do with what you were buying??  When I bought a police scanner, I had to show my ID and answer a bunch of questions.

Did it have something to do with what you were buying??  When I bought a police scanner, I had to show my ID and answer a bunch of questions.



He was buying orange juice.  :-\\


(I hope you don't mind me answering this for you, Carlos.)




Cat

He was buying orange juice.  :-\\


(I hope you don't mind me answering this for you, Carlos.)




Cat


??? What the fuuck does he need I.D to buy Orange Juice for?

??? What the fuuck does he need I.D to buy Orange Juice for?




Exactly-unless he was buying something else to go in it. But he wasn't. (I was there so I know.)




Cat

Exactly-unless he was buying something else to go in it. But he wasn't. (I was there so I know.)




Cat


I'm totally at a loss on this one.

That's retarded.

Were the notes brand new?

I'm totally at a loss on this one.

That's retarded.

Were the notes brand new?



I don't think so. I think what it was, she was used to asking for IDs.



Cat

I don't think so. I think what it was, she was used to asking for IDs.



Cat


Still ridiculous, I wouldn't go back to a store if that happened to me.

Exactly-unless he was buying something else to go in it. But he wasn't. (I was there so I know.)




Cat

Some of these grocers get kinda nervous when the sting operations are on!
;D