Baltimore Crime Beat: Protecting your credit cards from theft - Baltimore crime news: Police, courts and police stories in the city and central Maryland

The Baltimore Sun > Maryland News > Baltimore Crime Beat

« Judges hear challenge to convictions in triple murder | Main | Howard Co. man, stabbed last year in SW Balt, dies »

March 9, 2011

Protecting your credit cards from theft

Today's Crime Scenes column on the "Bathroom Bandits" charged with stealing credit cards from women in rest stop rest rooms and going on spending sprees has raised questions from readers about why merchants don't demand identification from customers.

Police say the suspects were able to buy $16,000 in merchandise, such as the mink coats at left (evidence photo from Maryland State Police), with the stolen credit cards. "Asking for ID at the time of purchase would make these crimes go away," one reader commented "I know I always thank the person who asks for my ID when purchasing with a CC."

Liz Kay over at the Consuming Interests blog has an answer: doing so violates agreements between merchants and the card companies, who are reluctant to put up any restrictions on people using cards.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 9:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Harford County

Comments

As long as you report the unauthorized activity promptly, the credit card company isn't going to hold you responsible for the goods charged to your card. It's the merchant who's on the hook for the purchase they authorized.

Posted by: Cakes | March 9, 2011 2:11 PM

I agreed with Cakes, make sure to report the missing card immediately. Fortunately a lot of credit card companies have good program protection, and if your credit cards got stolen you will be responsible for $50 in fraudulent purchases only. Nevertheless take care of your card and never leave unattended.

Posted by: Credit Cards | March 15, 2011 11:19 PM

Post a comment

All comments must be approved by the blog author. Please do not resubmit comments if they do not immediately appear. You are not required to use your full name when posting, but you should use a real e-mail address. Comments may be republished in print, but we will not publish your e-mail address. Our full Terms of Service are available here.

Name:

Email Address:

URL:

Remember personal info?

Comments:

Verification (needed to reduce spam):

About Peter Hermann

Peter Hermann started covering news for The Baltimore Sun in 1990, first in Anne Arundel County and, starting in 1994, reporting on the Baltimore Police Department. In 2001, he was assigned to Jerusalem as the Baltimore Sun's Middle East correspondent. He returned in 2005 as an assistant city editor overseeing crime coverage. In 2008, Peter returned to the beat as a daily reporter and blogger. A recent BBC report featured him in a segment on the harsh realities of covering crime in Baltimore.

Coverage will focus on crime trends, problems in neighborhoods in the city and elsewhere, profiles of victims and police officers and try to offer readers a fresh perspective on one of the most vexing issues facing Baltimore and its future.

Contributing to this blog is Justin Fenton, who joined The Sun in 2005 and has covered the Baltimore City Police Department and the criminal justice system since 2008. His work includes an investigation into Cal Ripken Jr.’s minor league baseball stadium deal with his hometown of Aberdeen, a three-part series chronicling a ruthless con woman, coverage of the killing of five Amish children at a schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pa., and a job swap with a British crime reporter to explore differences in crime-fighting. A special report looking into how city police handle rape cases led to sweeping reforms that changed the way sexual assaults are investigated in Baltimore. He was recognized as the best reporter in Baltimore by the City Paper in 2010 and by Baltimore Magazine in 2011.

Follow @phscoop, @justin_fenton on Twitter