Yesterday, for the first time I had something happen to me at a store which bothered me. I made a purchase at Target which was under $50 – about $44 and some change. I swiped my card and then was given the receipt. I asked if I needed to sign and I was told that I didn’t need to sign because the purchase was under $50. “It’s something new,” he said.

This new practice isn’t something that I applaud. When I buy gas and use a credit card, I was accustomed to just putting my credit card in the machine and then pumping my gas. Now the station that I frequent has added an added layer of protection and requests the zip code of the cardholder. I think if Target’s system asked for the zip code as well this couldn’t make me as apprehensive about using my card there for purchases under $50.

Though $50 doesn’t seem like a lot of money, several charges under the minimum signing amount can easily throw someone’s account off before the theft is caught.

Not every cashier even checks the signature on the card for “smaller” purchases. A smaller purchase can be less than $100 or $50 depending on the store. A few day s go I was at a bar with a  friend who had a tab and kept track of what she consumed. When she closed out her tab, the waitress didn’t ask to see her ID. On the back of her card it says, “ask for ID” in the signature line. My friend said something to the waitress about that and she said, oh, “I didn’t pay attention to that.”

Being diligent about using your credit card and also having diligent cashiers helps decrease credit card fraud.

If you drop your credit card in a store and someone makes several purchases, they may not be asked to sign anything, making it more difficult for you to prove that it was fraud. This is just another precaution to take when you are checking out at the store. Don’t take your card out until the last minute or if you have it in your hand, make sure you cover the numbers on your card so a thief won’t be able to take a photo of your credit card number. If you lose your card, report it lost right away.