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I work in retail and am constantly amazed by the number of people who hand me their unsigned credit card to pay for their purchases. As I ask for their ID, I always make a comment to the effect that they forgot to sign their card. Surprisingly, at least half tell me that they didn't sign it on purpose!

The usual comment is that "I purposely don't sign my cards so the clerks have to ask for my ID". Unfortunately, not signing your card is not a guarantee that someone will check. I am thanked several times a day for checking ID and customers tell me that "hardly anyone checks anymore".

When I encounter someone who tells me that they purposely didn't sign their card, I like to gently remind them of the not-so-honest person who is just waiting for them to drop their unsigned card. Now when the dishonest person picks up the lost card, they can easily sign YOUR signature.

Since "hardly anyone checks anymore", you can be certain that no one will think twice when the dishonest person's signature matches the credit card slip. If you feel better not signing your card, at the very least you should write "see photo ID" or even "C.I.D." In this day and age of rampant identity theft, you need to take the basic steps to protect yourself and your credit cards.

Learn more about this author, Tina Golden.
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