I bought some shopping in Tesco yesterday and used one of their new-fangled checkouts. It’s very clever: you scan the stuff yourself, swipe your bank card and, er, that’s it. However, when I swiped the card it didn’t ask for a PIN – which means that you could use anyone’s card.
Tesco is apparently going to make its self-service checkouts Chip and PIN to address the problem, and it says that a signature is required for transactions beyond a certain level (although I can’t find any figures to say what that “certain level” actually is). But for now, the firm’s offering a fantastic opportunity for card crooks.
I thought they didn’t do crime where you live. ;-)
Shame I didn’t realise that when I went to the shops for you. Could’ve nabbed yer cards and bought all the mince in the shop. Not sure why though.
Come to think of it – the last time I used a card petrol pump it didn’t ask for a PIN. Mind you they do have you and your car on CCTV. You’d have to steal a car, fill it with petrol with the owners stolen credit card and also duct tape the owners face over yours. the perfect crime?
Sounds like it :-D
thanks for the tip
I’ve always had to sign the signature pad at Sainsbury’s but that may be because I always get cashback. If you can’t get cash and can only buy a few quid’s worth of groceries, maybe it’s not that attractive to card thieves…
True, that.