Chip & Pin

[mank!]

Anyone been in a shop and used their card and had to do this yet? I can't see how it's going to cut down on fraud and it makes it quite awkward for retailers. It's no different than people waiting by cash machines spying on your pin number then stealing your card, except now they can go into any old shop and use it surely?

Or is it just something so that those lazy bastards like me who can't write properly can just tap a keypad?

 

[Tom]

Well, it means no more problems with cashiers not checking signatures, and it also means you can't have your card skimmed.

 

[Vae]

Well how many shops actually bother checking CC signatures nowadays (or at least give it more than a cursory glance)? At least this way they have to get not only the card but have seen you typing in your pin as well which you can at least try to hide/obscure when typing it in.

I can see there will be problems while it's being introduced as not everyone has a pin for their CC's yet but longterm it does add security and has been used in other countries e.g. France for quite a while.

 

[mank!]

Well, it means no more problems with cashiers not checking signatures, and it also means you can't have your card skimmed.

True, I do check but nine times out of ten people don't. But if people did check, would it be any less effective than chip and pin?

 

[Tom]

It would be far more effective. You can copy a signature, you can't copy a pin. And if you did get mugged, or if the card was stolen, then one phone call and its useless.

If somebody obtains your pin, its either because you were silly enough to have it written down somewhere near the card, had a stupidly obvious pin (1234), or you got thumped over the head after using it in a shop.

Whatever way, its much more secure.

 

[mank!]

Good point, well made, I'm going to refrain from making threads in future.