In recent times, we’ve had proud announcements from some banks that you will no longer even have to sign for purchases on your credit cards. Just swipe it and that will be it!
I know at places like Sydney Airport carpark, amongst many, as long as you hold a card, you’re sweet! Swipe and Go!
Are we going backwards or what?
Some banks even in the last 2 weeks here are marketing “smart card” (yeah right) technology and promoting the ease of how good this is…so simple for the consumer……swipe and go! These are not pre-paid cards……these are credit and debit cards!
So let me get this right? You give us a credit card…we decide to purchase something…..we swipe it…..the cashier acknowledges there are funds and we move on?! WTF?!
We work with PCI DSS on the backend and on the other side we have this? It’s not normal!
Carl G passed me this some time ago…..well worth a read and laugh…..Makes it all irrelevant doesn’t it:
http://www.zug.com/daily/journal/archive/2002_05_05_index.html
What’s really big in the states in a self-sign pad, where you swip your own card, and sign on the touch-screen LCD. The cashier doesn’t even see the touch-pad at any time, they just get a print out later saying accepted or denied. I’ve done a very simple smiley face as my signature before.
There’s no security being provided by the signature anymore…
Peace,
Wade
http://blog.wi.id.au
You are right I know. The signature is rarely ever checked as per that link I put in. No different I suppose to purchases over the Net. Just doesn’t seem to be a big focus on improving authentication.
Has there ever been security provided by a signature? It’s not that hard to forge a signature close enough to be “close enough”… My signature varies pretty wildly normally and if I go to the cashier then pretty much anything will be accepted.