Cashiers: Remember to Ask For ID

by PkWynn on September 26, 2011

The other day, I went to go pump gas in my car and I realized I didn’t have my debit card with me. I didn’t think anything of it, maybe I left it at home. I searched all over the house looking for my debit card and came up empty. I went online to see my account balance and to my dismay my checking account was wipe clean!

Most of the charges were from the same store and I thought to myself, what idiot would not check IDs for card transactions! Then it dawned on me, nobody does, not even me! I was at work observing my cashiers on each transaction and none of them asked for ID because there wasn’t an opportunity to.

When a customer slides their debit or credit card, the card reader does not tell us anything. If its a debit card then the customer can punch in their pin but if its a credit card it automatically goes through without any verification. A debit card can also be slid as a credit card as well, by pressing cancel when it ask for the pin number. We only see if the transaction had gone through by the machine printing out the receipt. By then there’s no way to ask the customer to see their ID and the transaction had already been charged.

So now I ask my cashiers to ask the customer if they’re using a debit or credit card and if its a credit card then we would ask for ID. I know it’s an extra step for the cashiers and may be some inconvenience for the customer but it is for their best interest that the credit card is authorized by the person it belongs to.

Tagged as: ID

  • SkippyMpm

    I am so sorry this happened to you. The debit card makes sense because ID isn’t required, but you do have to have a pin. It never occurred to me that someone could hit cancel, go credit and by pass the ID check. That’s scary.

  • Foo

    It’s a breach of the agreement between your employer and their bank to ask your customers for ID when they use a credit or debit card. All you are allowed to do is verify the signature on the slip matches the signature on the card.

  • Ian

    Will you be reimbursed for the charges seeing as the cashier who authorised the charges did not follow this protocol. In Europe, you cannot use a Debit or Credit Card without a pin, you may be asked for additional ID as well as signature verification.

    My friend was recently on a trip to Las Vegas and his hotel room had been broken into and his Credit Card stolen and used into the hotel store. Luckily he was refunded the money via the hotel and insurance.

    Card fraud must be rampant in the United States, with the rules being so relaxed.

  • CraazySister

    Sucks. Have you lost that money?

  • Anonymous

    I should get reimbursed Ian and Craazy. They’re doing an investigation but current;y my account is still at negative =(.

  • Tora

    I am so sorry Paul. As a previous personal banker, all I can tell you is that as long as the back of your card was signed and not noted as “See I.D.”, you should get reimbursed. This goes for everyone. You need to have the back of your card SIGNED by you or else you are held liable if your card is stolen and used. Hope you get your money back :(

  • AuntJuicebox

    I’m so sorry this happened to you! I do know that Foo is right about not being allowed to ask for ID with a credit card. My favorite local shop asks, and I show it to them, because I’m afraid if I complain about it, they’ll stop taking credit cards. :( Hope you get your money back soon.

  • Peter L

    I work at a tourist attraction in the summer, and work the ticket counter some days. We ask for ID, and the tourists thank us. Sometimes, they write “Check ID” in the signature line. Makes sense. A forger might not get away with using a stolen card that way.

Previous post:

Next post:

UA-10430543-1