22 April, 2007

Credit Card Warning

How many times have you handed over your credit card to a cashier only to have it returned as soon as its been swiped without your signature being checked against the one on the card?

I tell the cashier "please check my signature", but I wonder if the message sinks in. They don't care if someone has just paid for something with a stolen card.

If it happens to you, I think the best course of action is to educate the cashier as to why they should be checking signatures. Then, you should inform the management that signatures aren't being checked and how it is in their interest that they do this in future. You could also threaten not to go back to the shop as you don't feel happy using your credit card in there while the signature is not being verified.
Posted by Al Ain Taxi at 9:10 am
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10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yea ive been there ZILLION of times ... but you know wat sometimes i dont care cause I dnt always match my signature :p

22 April, 2007 09:37
secretdubai said...

In six years I have had my signature checked once, maybe twice.

The worst for me was when my bank did apparently check my signature on a cheque, and reject it. However, I found this out from the cheque recipient not the bank.

To this day, National Bank of Dubai has never bothered to contact or notify me about the rejected cheque, despite the fact if it was forged it most likely indicated that somone had stolen my entire cheque book and was using them about the place.

22 April, 2007 12:02
samuraisam said...

my fathers CC got stolen a year or two back and some asshole went and spent 10k+ on mobiles and jewellery.
The police really don't give a shit.
The only case in which you'll get a refund is if there are cameras surounding the cashiers, but considering the shops aren't responsible, why on earth would they bother?

I've repeatedly signed reciepts of other people with absolutely absurd stuff and had them accepted.

Once I bought a mobile using my dad's credit card (with his permission of course) and a guy at jumbo electronics said he had to be there to process it.

As is usually the case; until the laws are updated, there isn't anything anyone can do.

22 April, 2007 12:07
samuraisam said...

(Oh yeah; considering credit card fraud is so bad here they've actually started printing people's passport photographs on the credit cards because cashiers are too stupid to match signatures.)

22 April, 2007 12:08
Grumpy Goat said...

A while back, Time Out Dubai (I think) ran a story about checking credit cards. The reporter went around Dubai and made various purchases with his own card, but had fun when signing the slip.

Messrs. 'M. Mouse', 'W. T. Pooh', 'Winston Churchill' and 'G. W. Bush' (among others!) had no problem buying stuff. Only when the reporter signed 'X' was he invited to provide his proper autograph.

Scary, isn't it?

22 April, 2007 12:18
B.D. said...

The problem with the whole system is that all the risk falls on our shoulders. The merchants get paid by the banks and the banks are sure to get it all back from us, plus the numerous service charges, interest and penalties--especially penalties. They give lip service to how safe the system is, though really it isn't, not from the consumer's perspective.

The only advantage for us is the convenience factor of always having what we need at hand to pay for something , and of course it provides a massive convenience when paying for something remotely. Lazy and impatient as we are, we go for these conveniences, even though in the end we pay a high monetary price.

22 April, 2007 12:51
secretdubai said...

In a properly modernised country one would be able to (a) get the stolen money back from the credit card company and (b) sue the living arse out of the shop that failed to make the checks. The problem is that consumer rights are still not given appropriate attention and respect here.

How many of us know peope who have been arrested/fined/jailed over a bounced cheque that was due to a banking error? Or have had it happen to them? Will you ever be compensated for the bank's error? No.

And let's not forget the fact that people are still charged extra to use credit cards, and to make e-payments (hello DEWA!) In fact DEWA will even keep the charges - which are a percentage of the payment, not even a fixed amount from what I can work out - if they have made a mistake or their system screws up and the payment doesn't complete and you have to redo it. Can you imagine a government department, utility company or etailer in a properly modernised country (yeah I'm using this as a euphemism for "western") charging customers a percentage of the price on their credit card? There would rightly be outrage.

Visa are aware of these problems and it infuriates them - it goes against all their accepted rules and practices - but there is nothing they can do.

As for those photos - well big deal. I have one, I'm barely recogniseable in it, and they never look at it anyway. I thought it was such a great idea at the time, now I wonder why I bothered

22 April, 2007 21:07
Unknown said...

Most outlets I’ve been to especially in Eastern Europe, I’ve seen them diligently verify my signature on the voucher with that on my card.

At first, I found it rude but after being told that credit card fraud is in abundance especially in Eastern Europe, I ended up paying cash rather than flash my card and have it hijacked.

23 April, 2007 20:05
Anonymous said...

hi all

as i am a banker & know lot off about rhe C/card i suggest not to put the signature back of ur card & i advice the shops to verifey the card if ist belonge to the holder or no by seeing the ID card (all the type) this way used in jordan long time back but here i am surprise to not used this way by any one :(

thnx

02 May, 2007 17:15
Farooq said...

I READ ALL THE COMMENTS FROM THE ABOVE. I THINK WHAT ONE SHOULD DO IS
1. AVOID GIVN CC TO OTHERS.
2. VERIFY THE SIGN ON EVERY TRANSCTION MADE BY A PERSON IN EVERY MONTH.
3. GET THE COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE OF CARD SECURITY AND USES AND CHARGES FROM ISSUING AUTHORITY.
4. HOLD THE CARD WHICH PROVIDE LATEST TECHNOLOGY REGARDING SECURITY
Beside I would like to say that credit card is most convient way making ur daily transcations by using it anywhere in the world without any inconvience.

15 December, 2007 13:32

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