Once in the UK, the cashier didn't want to take my credit card because there was no signature on the back.
I wondered, which kind of graphology training do Tesco cashiers go through in order to be able to identify a fake signature?
I wondered, which kind of graphology training do Tesco cashiers go through in order to be able to identify a fake signature?
> Unsigned Cards
> While checking card security features, you should also make sure that the card is signed. An unsigned card is considered invalid and should not be accepted. If a customer gives you an unsigned card, the following steps must be taken:
> • Check the cardholder’s ID.
> Ask the cardholder for some form of official government identification, such as a driver’s license or passport. Where permissible by law, the ID serial number and expiration date should be written on the sales receipt before you complete the transaction.
> • Ask the customer to sign the card.
> The card should be signed within your full view, and the signature checked against the customer’s signature on the ID. A refusal to sign means the card is still invalid and cannot be accepted.
> • Ask the customer for a different signed Visa card
> “See ID”
> Some customers write “See ID” or “Ask for ID” in the signature panel, thinking that this is a deterrent against fraud or forgery; that is, if their signature is not on the card, a fraudster will not be able to forge it. In reality, criminals often don’t take the time to practice signatures. They use cards as quickly as possible after a theft and prior to the accounts being blocked. They are actually counting on you not to look at the back of the card and compare signatures; they may even have access to counterfeit identification with a signature in their own handwriting.
> In this situation, follow recommended steps listed above under Unsigned Cards.
https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/download/merchants/card-accept...
I'm still waiting.
The signature generally smears off after a few weeks anyways.
Funnily enough, I have been refused to pay a hotel bill with my unsigned card, since the clerk couldn't verify the signature. So he had me - in front of his eyes - first sign my card, then sign the bill, and then he double checked that the signatures were identical (which they're not - my signatures always come out different).
In the US I have my real signature at the back of the card but I just draw a straight line when signing the receipt. No one ever complained about that.
In Europe I sign with my real signature (because I know that cashiers there are more strict) and even then sometimes hear complaints that the signature on the receipt doesn't exactly match the one on the card.