don’t sign that form

One of my new co-workers, Joe, overheard my conversation with a credit card company this afternoon (ah, the comfort of modern cubicles!). While our personal earshot privacy is violated daily, he had an interesting idea regarding protecting yourself against a different violation.

He said he recently decided not to sign the back of any of his credit or debit cards, but rather to write “See ID” in the signature space. He did this as a precaution of identity theft, and alongside his astonishment of rarely being asked to show ID, he told stories of how he and others avoid ID theft by having done so. Is it legal? Yep. Safe? Well, its more safe.

When you’re safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you’re having an adventure you wish you were safe at home.” ~ Thornton Wilder