Tales of the Ridiculous

Don’t sign the back of your credit cards.

A sign at a local post office, which stated, “We do NOT accepted credit cards that are not signed on the back” prompted this tidbit.   Like most Americans, I carry several credit (and debit) cards.  But unlike many Americans, I refuse to sign the strip on the back that states the card is “not valid unless signed.”  After all, why should I provide a prospective thief with the likeness of my signature?  Credit card fraud and identity theft are at an all-time high. So, why should we be required to provide our signatures as the next piece of information up for grabs?

Ever since I’ve been fortunate enough to carry credit cards, I’ve wondered why people sign them on the back.  Actually, I am surprised that the standard policies for using credit cards don’t require a photo ID.  After all, what’s better, a signature that cannot be validated or a picture that proves you are who you are.  I’ll take the latter as the best protection.

Upon further investigation of this idiotic policy (that was eventually approved by some other “genius”) I discovered that this policy came from “way up high” in a chain of federal government bureaucracy.

I guess that shows why the United States Postal Service is so profitable.  Pretty soon it will be cheaper to deliver our own mail.