Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Credit wipe out

It appears thiefs need only a little water and a cotton cloth to wipe your signature clean off your credit or debit card.

Just moisten your card and let it sit that way for a couple hours. Then, wipe clean. And viola! No more pesky signature to get in the way of identity theft.

How did I discover this? Well, my cell phone took a dive into the Stanislaus River at about midnight on Labor Day and I dove in after it (without removing my wallet, mind you). The next day, I decided to dry off my cards with my shirt as I discovered they were still damp while buying iced tea. And now, to go along with my ruined phone, I have a T-shirt with a beautiful blue streak on the stomach.

So now you know how a thief can easily wipe off your signature. And not to jump into bodies of water with your wallet. Unless you want a stained shirt.

2 comments:

Erdos56 said...

I got hit with credit card/identity theft a bit back. First time ever and it surprised me. What was really impressive, though, was that fraud control caught it on the day it happened and we had new cards within a few days. The AIs worked surprisingly well for me.

May I suggest a Sharpie next time?

Anonymous said...

Hey Tiger -
Glad to hear things have dried out from your midnight swim. Best to leave your valubles locked up next time.

Best Wishes!
Bald Angel & family