On Sun, 3 Jul 2011 22:23:32 -0700 (PDT), harry wrote:

On Jul 4, 6:01*am, The Daring Dufas
wrote:
On 7/3/2011 5:39 PM, Malcolm Hoar wrote:





In , wrote:
Tch. How backward you Yanks are. Signatures indeed.
European credit cards have an inbuilt microprocessor. You put your
card in the slot and type in your secret PIN number. Lots of stuff
now, you buy& * pay for without reference to any store employee.

It's a problem for Yanks over here (UK) when they produce their
obsolescent cards.

Harry my British friend, you keep forgetting that The U. S. is a lot
bigger than The U.K. and things like that are more difficult to change
on a national basis. I agree that we need the ability to punch in a
secret pin number of some sort for credit card purchases like we now
do when a the card is used in debit mode.

It doesn't help much when the crooks install skimming devices
into unattended card readers such as those in gas (petrol)
pumps. Already happening in hi-tech Sillycon Valley.

I'm referring to purchases made at the cash register, not at unattended
card readers. One of the many things I do is servicing point of sale
systems at retail stores where there are a lot of card readers that are
often called pen pads because of the touch screen where you can sign
your name with the special pen. I'm very wary of outdoor ATM machines
that are easily tampered with.

TDD- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

So, all the crook needs is a copy of your signature and an ability to
forge it?

The signature is only used in case the charge is contested. The perp has no
need to copy your signature. His will do fine.