Complaint Review: TARGET STORES - COLUMBIA HEIGHTS / ELK RIVER/ ANOKA/ RAMSEY Minnesota

I'm a former sales associate at Toys R Us and currently a cashier at a supermarket chain (the name starts with a W and ends with an E). When I was at Toys R Us, we had a policy of checking everybody's ID for checks and credit cards. I always followed these policies. It was very common with checks to get a response "Authorization Required", meaning we had to call an 800 number. I never saw anything suspicious with credit/debit cards there, but apparently if the bank suspected fraud, or if a flagged card was run, it would say "Authorization Required" (apparently when the banks would reply pick up card the register would say "Authorization Required" like if they replied call center).

In the grocery store, I used to do it the same way I was trained to do it at Toys R Us even though we were trained to only check if the card says Check ID or has a blank signature box at the grocery store (corporate policy seems to be to compare the signature, but the trainer in my district doesn't go over that with the new hires). The managers didn't seem to mind it until some pin-head customer complained to corporate about it (either someone trying to use someone elses card and failed to mention that part, or someone who would rather risk having their identity stolen than be mildly incovenienced). Now I compare the signature, and if it doesn't match, I request ID. 90% of my credit card transactions are legitimate, but there's been many times when I've declined people who tried to use other people's cards. One of those people I'm pretty sure had a stolen card they were trying out to see if it worked, because it was a suspicious looking guy in street clothes trying to buy a $1.00 item with a business card from some medical place with a female's name on the card; he said it was his manager's card, which I'm pretty sure was B.S. I told him no and would have paged a supervisor, but he paid cash and took off.

Checking ID is a good idea, but it's not a cure all. There was one time a really trashy looking guy came in and tried to buy two $100 gift cards with a credit card, with both gift cards separated on two transactions. I checked his ID and it matched because the card was forged; the card even swiped through okay (it wasn't demagnetized), and it passed the part where I have to enter the last four digits of the card number. This guy must have bought the card from a professional thief, because he didn't seem smart enough to be able to make a card look that legitimate. Well, gift card one went through okay, but gift card two resulted in "DECLINE - Call Operator - 01". I paged for a supervisor to come, but the guy fled before the supervisor got there. The next day the card holder called the store about it, and it was some guy in another state that had his identity stolen via the internet.

I do sign the back of my cards, but I also write "(See ID)" next to the signature. Credit card fraud is a serious problem these days. It makes me ill to hear of places that refuse to capture cards when they  say "DECLINE - Pick Up Card" because those cards don't even belong to the card holder, they belong to the card issuer. If it's not a violation of Visa and Mastercard's rules for merchants to ignore Pick Up Card responses (with the exception of situations where the person get exceptionally hostile over it), it should be.

I out of habit never use my credit card without handing my id with it. Sometimes the clerk gets emberassed and apologizes for not asking for the ID I handed them but I tell them no worries because I think we should take responsiblity for our own persons. Meaning, I shouldn't be waiting till they ask to show it. Does it hurt me to hand them both out? Not really. doesnt take any more time. I had my purse stolen from my work when I was younger and I was lucky that I had no credit card or anything like that. I had an ID and a house key so we had to change the lock of the house(id had home address on it so they knew where to use the key) which kind of sucked. I still remember how sick in my stomach I felt when the Manager in the morning rewinded the camera and we watched him walk on camera, behind the counter and grab my purse the moment my co-worker had went to the bathroom and run out the door(I was in the cooler restocking) At the time I was angry at her for walking away from the counter when she knew I wasnt there to watch the counter but I should have left my purse in the back room, not where someone could possibly take it. again. take responsiblity. It could have been much worse so I'm thankful for that. Last year I saw a guy brake into a womans car and steal her purse. I rushed in to find her and tell her but they left before they were caught. She had credit cards and holiday gifts and things in her purse... they broke her car window too. that poor lady. she was heartbroken. we all should do our part to keep an eye out for the honest people

I currently work at Target, and in orientation, we are told not to check ID unless the computer asks for it (which is done only with certain checks). This is because Target understands we are NOT handwriting experts who can tell when the signatures are ok. I personally write differently every other word, and my signature on my ID is no where near what I normally write. On top of that, my ID is almost two years old and looks nothing like me, so I fail to see how that would really help in every situation. I also was a theft victim about two months ago, so believe me, I've been there. However, either you have a crappy bank or you took too long to report it, becuase I have Wells Fargo, and I reported it later that day (the cards were taken out of my wallet, so I didn't realize they were missing until after work when I went to go buy something) and every charge was reversed. If you report it within two days you are only liable for up to $50, and after that I believe it jumps to $500. Also, with Wells Fargo in Minnesota and a few other states, it is not possible to use the card as Debit, so if any place changes to debit only, they will lose all of my business, and probably others. Using a debit card is worse than using credit, becuase all it takes is someone looking over your shoulder to get your PIN number, and if they get ahold of you card, they will rack up more charges than they would if they had to sign for it. Also, sometimes, like in my case, there isn't much the police can do. the guy who stole my cards charged gas three seperate times, and none of the places had video surveillance. Since I reported it to WF right away, I was able to get every penny returned to me, even the overdraft fees this caused. The guy was a friend of my roommates, and even with the name of the guy and the town he lives in (he disconnected his phone line) they haven't been able to find him.

To call your bank and other institutions to tell them that your checkbook, credit cards, etc were stolen Do not blame these companies I do business with Walgreens every day and they do ask for ID when someone writes a check just proper business Stacey

... why not take some personal responsibility and keep a stronger hold on your valuable possessions, such as checks. Had you done this in the first place, none of this would have happened.

I show my ID to anyone of those folks, when using my credit card.

Check for yourself at usa.visa.com/download/merchants/rules_for_visa_merchants.pdf?it=c|/merchants/|Rules%20for%20Visa%20Merchants Excerpts: If the VISA card signature space does not contain a signature VISA requires an ID check and that the card be signed on the spot: ""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 another signed Visa card. Compare the signature on the card to the signature on the ID."" There is NOTHING in the VISA rules that states that a merchant cannot check ID. ""When should you ask a cardholder for an official government ID? Although Visa rules DO NOT PRECLUDE merchants from asking for cardholder ID, merchants cannot make an ID a condition of acceptance. Therefore, merchants cannot refuse to complete a purchase transaction because a cardholder refuses to provide ID. Visa BELEIVES merchants should not ask for ID as part of their regular card acceptance procedures."" (capitalization by me for emphasis) ""If you are suspicious about the transaction or feel you need additional information to insure the identity of the cardholder, make a Code 10 call.""

Don't listen to the idiot above!! Continue to do what you are doing, you little hero you!!! My wallet has been stolen twice and although every card says in massive letters CHECK ID no one has and I've lost over $500 ... not all of which was reimbursed due to stolen money. It infuriates me that people do not take a stand and stopletting crooks get away with this!! I work at a busy restaraunt and there have been several times when a card has gone through with "Declined: Pick up Card" which means it was stolen. I took it to my manager twice and he said "It's not our business!" ... that makes me so mad I can't see straight. People need to stop being so apathetic and start helping each other out in this messed up world. So to you... you who checks ID... I want to thank you for being someone useful and helpful in society.

Just as an FYI to the person who works at Walgreens: Merchants are prohibted from requiring or asking for an ID on credit cards by the cad associations (Visa, etc.) unless the card is not signed, or the signatures do not match. Therefore, you are in direct violation of card association rules when you state that you ask for ID on all credit card purchases.

Just as an FYI to the person who works at Walgreens: Merchants are prohibted from requiring or asking for an ID on credit cards by the cad associations (Visa, etc.) unless the card is not signed, or the signatures do not match. Therefore, you are in direct violation of card association rules when you state that you ask for ID on all credit card purchases.

Just as an FYI to the person who works at Walgreens: Merchants are prohibted from requiring or asking for an ID on credit cards by the cad associations (Visa, etc.) unless the card is not signed, or the signatures do not match. Therefore, you are in direct violation of card association rules when you state that you ask for ID on all credit card purchases.

Just as an FYI to the person who works at Walgreens: Merchants are prohibted from requiring or asking for an ID on credit cards by the cad associations (Visa, etc.) unless the card is not signed, or the signatures do not match. Therefore, you are in direct violation of card association rules when you state that you ask for ID on all credit card purchases.

I have worked for Walgreens for more than two years. From the very first day of training we were shown how to spot possible cases of identity theft. We are required to check ID for ANY check, regardless of the amount. You can write a check for $1.00...your ID will still be checked. It is policy to check both the name and address on the ID against the name and address on the check. If the name matches, but not the address and the check is more than $50, it will not be accepted without manager approval. Usually this involves calling the bank to a. verify that funds are indeed available and b. the card is not stolen. If anything about the check looks odd or displaced, a manager will be called to inspect it. Any manager has a right to decline a suspicious check. Unfortunately, while Walgreens as a company does recognize and care about the identity theft epidemic, not all employees necessarily do. And in any retail business, front checkers can be become automated in their jobs and sometimes forget to check the fine print. For that I apologize. It's credit cards that are becomming the biggest outlet for identity thieves, who have gotten so crafty, they are able to take THEIR OWN maxed out/closed credit cards, de-magnetize them, and alter the number by one or two digits. What this means is that when they go into a store to make a purchase and try to run their card, the machine will read "card error". When the employee goes to check the customer's ID, it will match the name on the card. It's at this point the employee will manually punch the credit card number into the machine. The card will clear and a slip will print with the name of the criminal, but someone else's account number. By the time the transaction bounces back as fradulent, it's nearly impossible to track down the credit slip. This is why Walgreens will not manually punch ANY type of credit card. I've been screamed at by customer's who may or may not have been telling the truth about dropping their card in a puddle or leaving it pressed against another card in their wallet. It doesn't matter. Get a new card, not for my convienience, but for your own protection! We also will not take really large checks without extensive bank checks, nor will we take checks or visa (debit/cash only) for tabacco products, because it has been the Walgreens experience that most of those checks/visas are stolen. We do have room to improve. We are not required to ID for credit card purchases under $50 or looks suspicious nor do we require a signiture UNLESS the card is marked SEE ID. I ID for all credit cards even though it's not required. No ID, no purchase. I caught a credit card theif last year. A young gentleman, around 19/20, his wife, and baby, made a credit card purchase of various household items totalling $74. Because he ran it on our self serve debit/credit machine so fast, I did not have a chance to look at the card and assumed he was running debit. He knew exactly what he was doing. Or at least thought he did. Him and his wife walked out before I looked down to realize it was a credit card purchase NOT debit card and I needed a signature because it was over $50. He was already out the front door. But he was brilliant enough to leave the card on the counter. Bank of America Visa Member since 1987 Hmm, so he opened the account when he was one? I got my manager, explained the situation and she said to wait until he came back and then ask him for ID. If he didn't have any DO NOT give him the card. The fact that he was dumb enough to come back was crazy. When I asked him for ID, he said he didn't have any. Then it was expired. Then it was at home. I called my manager over and she told him no ID/no card. He got verbally abusive and then said he was going home to get his ID. Yeah. Right. We called the customer service number on the back of the card. When the voice prompt asked for the credit card number we punched it in. Then it asked for the last 4 digits of SSN. We made up a random number...and it let us into the account options! Balance, payments, EVERYTHING. When we finally got a customer service rep on the line and explained the situation, they contacted the real credit card holder. Who came down to Walgreens to pick up his stolen credit card. Turns out they had charged $4000 in a week on his card. He was upset, but glad it stopped with Walgreens. We reversed the $74 charge on his card - the thieves got away with free merchandise and Walgreens lost money, but the victim told us he had over $500,000 in the bank - it could have been a lot worse. Since then, I check every customer. Unfortunately, the self serve credit card machines are a big problem, not just at Walgreens, but EVERYWHERE. They should be debit only, because that requires pin number knowledge. All credit cards should be checked for ID EVERYWHERE. I have had the same credit card for 3 years that says "SEE ID" in big bold black letters across the back. I have been asked for ID 3 times EVER: Once by Taco Bell (where I go quite often and they only asked once), once by the Astro gas station by my house, and once at a Thai restaurant. That's really scary.