Swipe at shops

By Sarah Schwager
CRANBOURNE shoppers should be aware of just how easily their credit cards could be forged.
An investigation by the News has found most shop assistants at major supermarkets and petrol stations did not check for a signature if it was not provided.
Cranbourne resident Katherine Eastwood contacted the News after becoming fed up at stores not checking for her signature.
Ms Eastwood, who also works for the Commonwealth Bank, said she became enraged when she visited Ritchies Supermarket in Cranbourne last Friday and the transaction was approved before she had signed the receipt.
She said she was particularly annoyed as her husband’s credit card was stolen a year ago and used to buy hundreds of dollars worth of liquor and other items.
“I was dumbfounded. It just annoys me. It only takes two seconds to check a signature,” Ms Eastwood said.
The News visited six major stores in Cranbourne this week and only one passed the test.
Ritchies Cranbourne was the only store to specifically ask to see the signature.
Coles Supermarket and BP Service Station did not bother to check the credit card for a signature.
K-Mart, Safeway and Coles Express Shell Service Station checked the card but did not compare it to the signature on the receipt, in which a false signature was given.
An investigation in Narre Warren, Hallam and Berwick produced similar results, with only two out of five stores checking for signatures.
Ms Eastwood said it was not up to banks to have to check if their clients’ credit cards were being used fraudulently.
“We need to educate people and let them know how easy it is for frauds to use their cards,” she said.
“If these stores aren’t doing their job, anyone can use their card to purchase anything.”
In many countries overseas, credit cards come with the holder’s photo digitally printed on it.
Another option that has been discussed is copying VicRoads’ method of printing the signature on the driver’s licence electronically, preventing it from being worn or scratched off.
Ms Eastwood said each year banks lost billions of dollars to credit card fraud.
“While the machinery would be extremely costly to provide such an option…in 12 months they would get their money back easily,” she said.
It would be up to the individual banks to purchase the equipment to provide digital photos or signatures on credit cards.
“You’ve got to allow some variance with a signature but if there was a photo on the card, you can’t fake that,” Ms Eastwood said.
She said at the Commonwealth Bank people often came in asking for their PINs to be changed on their bankcards.
“If they can’t provide some other form of identification we will cut it up then and there.
“We get a lot of angry clients but we say ‘we are protecting you’.
“You never know if someone’s just picked it up off the street,” she said.
In a prepared statement Coles corporate affairs advisor Peta McKellar said Coles Express operational procedures clearly stated that customers must provide a signature for credit card transactions.
“All Coles Express team members receive regular training, which covers checking the credit cardholder’s signature when a transaction takes place in store,” she said.
However, the statement did not explain why the staff did not check the signatures.
Ritchies Supermarket did not wish to comment on the issue or the incident.
A Safeway spokeswoman said Safeway had a focus on training service cashiers to ensure credit cards were checked appropriately.
“We certainly do our utmost to ensure that that happens,” she said.
BP Australia was unable to respond to the News by the time of going to press.