dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
30636
deluxe8520
join:2007-07-02
Floral Park, NY

deluxe8520

Member

Sneaker store required to scan drivers license for returns!

I bought two pairs of sneakers from Famous Footwear last week. Today I went to return one pair which was unworn. I had the original receipt and the credit card used for the purchase. They told me in order to reverse the charge on my credit card they need to scan my license and enter my driver's license number into their computer database .

They said its company policy to scan the drivers license for all returns or exchanges. I am worried about identity theft and think it's ridiculous to require this for a credit card purchase. Maybe I could understand a cash purchase or if I did not have a receipt.

Are they allowed to do this? Do I have any rights here? I don't trust them to store my license info into their computer. If there is anything I can do about this or anybody I can contact please let me know.

If there is nothing I can do at least I can provide a warning to you guys before you make a purchase here.

Snowy
Lock him up!!!
Premium Member
join:2003-04-05
Kailua, HI

1 recommendation

Snowy

Premium Member

That is a prohibited practice.
File a complaint with your credit card issuer.
»answers.google.com/answe ··· 085.html

La Luna
Fly With The Angels My Beloved Son Chris
Premium Member
join:2001-07-12
New Port Richey, FL

2 edits

1 recommendation

La Luna to deluxe8520

Premium Member

to deluxe8520
They can do what ever they want. Your choice is to not shop there. This is no different than stores asking for DL to validate a CC or a check for a purchase. Again, if you don't like that policy, you don't have to shop in that store.

My guess: they've had problems with bogus returns or bogus credit cards being used to get returns credited to them. They want to make sure the name on the CC is really you and that the license is valid.

What is their policy when making a purchase with a CC, if you know....do they require showing a license then?

Edit: on thinking a little more, I'm not sure if SCANNING the license is legal....that is not the same as just looking at it visually. But if it's not legal, how did they get the software that allows them to do this at the register level?

Snowy
Lock him up!!!
Premium Member
join:2003-04-05
Kailua, HI

1 recommendation

Snowy

Premium Member

said by La Luna:

They can do what ever they want.
No, they cannot.
A store may ask to "see" a drivers license in conjunction with a credit card sale, but they are expressly forbidden from capturing any of the drivers license in any form, digital or otherwise.

La Luna
Fly With The Angels My Beloved Son Chris
Premium Member
join:2001-07-12
New Port Richey, FL

La Luna to Snowy

Premium Member

to Snowy
said by Snowy:

That is a prohibited practice.
File a complaint with your credit card issuer.
»answers.google.com/answe ··· 085.html
Supposedly, saying a minimum payment (say $10 for example) is required to use a CC isn't "legal" either, yet I see stores with signs to that effect all the time. I doubt the CC companies care all that much.
La Luna

1 recommendation

La Luna to Snowy

Premium Member

to Snowy
said by Snowy:
said by La Luna:

They can do what ever they want.
No, they cannot.
A store may ask to "see" a drivers license in conjunction with a credit card sale, but they are expressly forbidden from capturing any of the drivers license in any form, digital or otherwise.
Yes, I changed my thought on that in my edit above.

DannyZ
Gentoo Fanboy
Premium Member
join:2003-01-29
united state

DannyZ to La Luna

Premium Member

to La Luna
said by La Luna:

Edit: on thinking a little more, I'm not sure if SCANNING the license is legal....that is not the same as just looking at it visually. But if it's not legal, how did they get the software that allows them to do this at the register level?
It's probably not a matter of it being legal or illegal, but a violation of the merchant agreement.
deluxe8520
join:2007-07-02
Floral Park, NY

deluxe8520

Member

Am I paranoid for not wanting them to scan my license? Can identity theft occur from somebody having your drivers license information?

Would you guys let the store scan your license for a return?

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ to deluxe8520

Premium Member

to deluxe8520
said by deluxe8520:

I bought two pairs of sneakers from Famous Footwear last week.
Is this you too?
»answers.yahoo.com/questi ··· 6AA8pVvc
FFootware return policy on the web:
»www.famousfootwear.com/s ··· turn.asp
quote:
3. A form of personal identification and the credit card used for the original purchase.
The scan is likely to prove its a real valid DL? Or as they told you on yahoo, to keep track of you should you start returning sneakers often.

Try buying Nyquil in CA. You are allowed one purchase a month at any given chain, as they scan your license when you buy. Been a while since I was miserable enough to go to the old standby, but this winter I got a nasty cold that responded well. Both the cold and the Nyquil were gone after a week

Snowy
Lock him up!!!
Premium Member
join:2003-04-05
Kailua, HI

1 recommendation

Snowy to deluxe8520

Premium Member

to deluxe8520
said by deluxe8520:

Am I paranoid for not wanting them to scan my license?
Of course it's possible that you're paranoid, but it's also possible that you take matters of your privacy seriously, as I believe everyone should.
said by deluxe8520:

Can identity theft occur from somebody having your drivers license information?
Yes, especially when combined with your credit card info.
said by deluxe8520:

Would you guys let the store scan your license for a return?
Absolutely not.
deluxe8520
join:2007-07-02
Floral Park, NY

deluxe8520 to DannyZ

Member

to DannyZ
said by DannyZ:

It's probably not a matter of it being legal or illegal, but a violation of the merchant agreement.
Yeah that's what I was thinking too. I doubt the credit card company would do anything about it though. Just like La Luna said before about the minimum charge. I see lots of places violate that agreement.

zen1
@optonline.net

zen1 to deluxe8520

Anon

to deluxe8520
in many states it IS illegal. »www.google.com/search?hl ··· aq=f&oq= it depends on the state, but in any case, it's NOT a good idea to allow that, as they could use the info on the card to do things it was never intended for..

Its a Secret
Please speak into the microphone
Premium Member
join:2008-02-23
Da wet coast

1 recommendation

Its a Secret to deluxe8520

Premium Member

to deluxe8520
It would be a cold day in Hades before I let anyone except the DMV, a cop or maybe a border guard scan my DL. All I can say is, they better have a BIG sign stating that policy at each register, but I doubt they do. I have no problem showing ID for a CC purchase; if fact, I have a "check ID" on the back.

But scan? Lookey, no touchey!

salzan
Experienced Optimist
Premium Member
join:2004-01-08
WA State

salzan to deluxe8520

Premium Member

to deluxe8520
Call your credit card company and launch a dispute. That will get the store's attention.

DownTheShore
Pray for Ukraine
Premium Member
join:2003-12-02
Beautiful NJ

1 recommendation

DownTheShore to deluxe8520

Premium Member

to deluxe8520
said by deluxe8520:

Am I paranoid for not wanting them to scan my license? Can identity theft occur from somebody having your drivers license information?

Would you guys let the store scan your license for a return?
I don't give them my phone number when they ask for it just to make a $15 purchase at Toys R Us, so I would never let any retailer scan my driver's license.

Its a Secret
Please speak into the microphone
Premium Member
join:2008-02-23
Da wet coast

1 recommendation

Its a Secret

Premium Member

I use (local area code)555-1212...

Combat Chuck
Too Many Cannibals
Premium Member
join:2001-11-29
Verona, PA

Combat Chuck to La Luna

Premium Member

to La Luna
said by La Luna:

But if it's not legal, how did they get the software that allows them to do this at the register level?
The info on a drivers license is in plain text with a few exceptions. Anyone can write software to read the 2d barcode or to grab the less complete info off of the magnetic stripe.

Its a Secret
Please speak into the microphone
Premium Member
join:2008-02-23
Da wet coast

2 edits

Its a Secret

Premium Member

said by Combat Chuck:

The info on a drivers license is in plain text with a few exceptions.
Wow, I feel so much safer now.

"Hi, thank you for shopping Wal-Mart! Can I have your DL to scan, please? It's for your protection!" [/sarcasm]

Yea, sign me up. Not.

pcdebb
birdbrain
Premium Member
join:2000-12-03
Brandon, FL
ARRIS DG1670

pcdebb to deluxe8520

Premium Member

to deluxe8520
hmm, then walmart is going to burn in hell. i dont know if they still do it, but there was a (hidden or largely unknown) policy to start scanning DL's because of the people that return stuff like they are collecting a paycheck. i think there's a limit on how many times you can make a return without a receipt and they use the DL to look it up (at least in the store I worked in, they finally got a clue when we had so much kmart stuff being returned )

but this brings another question, isnt it the same as a company entering your DL when you write a check for approval?

Idjk
@bellsouth.net

Idjk

Anon

they were scanning DL in Fl for a while at some stores for checks and CC purchases- it turned out they were selling the info to some info reseller-until the state stopped it, I never let them scan my card.
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

Mele20 to pcdebb

Premium Member

to pcdebb
said by pcdebb:

but this brings another question, isnt it the same as a company entering your DL when you write a check for approval?
Seems to me it is the same. In Hawaii, your driver's license number is always recorded on a check you write at the grocery store. I can't recall a time when this was not the case. I don't see why it is illegal to scan the driver's license but legal to write the license number on a check submitted. People used to get store check approval cards and the number on those was written on checks instead but I never bothered with those. These days, no one (except my mother) writes checks in stores.

Its a Secret
Please speak into the microphone
Premium Member
join:2008-02-23
Da wet coast

Its a Secret

Premium Member

Scanning, and viewing/ writing a DL # are two different things. Checks? That's like using an 8 track!

HardwareGeek
join:2003-11-15
Brooklyn, NY

HardwareGeek to Mele20

Member

to Mele20
This sounds like they are trying to track people who return a lot.

But the stores I've seen do this only do it when there is no reciept.

Next time this happens call your credit card company, and have them reverse the charge while you're in the store. Make sure you leave the sneakers too.

pcdebb
birdbrain
Premium Member
join:2000-12-03
Brandon, FL
ARRIS DG1670

pcdebb

Premium Member

said by HardwareGeek:

This sounds like they are trying to track people who return a lot.

But the stores I've seen do this only do it when there is no reciept.
yes this is true. i've returned things without a receipt and they've asked for my DL, and i generally didn't have a problem with it since i didn't have the receipt. I've never had to do it when i've had the receipt. at walmart it was a serious problem and scanning the DL curbed the problem big time.

sivran
Vive Vivaldi
Premium Member
join:2003-09-15
Irving, TX

sivran to deluxe8520

Premium Member

to deluxe8520
The policy is probably motivated by wanting to protect (the store) against theft of a different kind.

Doesn't mean it doesn't suck though.

Jackorama
I Am Woman
Premium Member
join:2008-05-23
Kingston, ON

1 edit

Jackorama to deluxe8520

Premium Member

to deluxe8520
"Can identity theft occur from somebody having your drivers license information?"

Sure can!!! This is a news item from March 27, 2009 about a mother who loses her house in a "Mortgage Scam". It was done by stealing her identity with her drivers license info.

»www.thestar.com/News/GTA ··· e/609138

The sad thing is that they caught the scammers, but the woman will still loose her home.

Combat Chuck
Too Many Cannibals
Premium Member
join:2001-11-29
Verona, PA

Combat Chuck to Mele20

Premium Member

to Mele20
said by Mele20:

I don't see why it is illegal to scan the driver's license but legal to write the license number on a check submitted.
It's a lot harder to call the DMV to get your address and other info with a license number than it is to pull it from the barcode.

In addition some states have and possibly still do put your SSN in the barcode.

Its a Secret
Please speak into the microphone
Premium Member
join:2008-02-23
Da wet coast

Its a Secret

Premium Member

said by Combat Chuck:

In addition some states have and possibly still do put your SSN in the barcode.
That would kind of negate your previous post then.
said by Combat Chuck:

Anyone can write software to read the 2d barcode or to grab the less complete info off of the magnetic stripe.
81399672 (banned)
join:2006-05-17
Los Angeles, CA

81399672 (banned) to La Luna

Member

to La Luna
said by La Luna:

said by Snowy:

That is a prohibited practice.
File a complaint with your credit card issuer.
»answers.google.com/answe ··· 085.html
Supposedly, saying a minimum payment (say $10 for example) is required to use a CC isn't "legal" either, yet I see stores with signs to that effect all the time. I doubt the CC companies care all that much.
I have forced many stores to change their practice, and know of 3 stores that lost ability to take cc because they refuse. Yes credit card company care about the violation.
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

Mele20 to Combat Chuck

Premium Member

to Combat Chuck
said by Combat Chuck:
said by Mele20:

I don't see why it is illegal to scan the driver's license but legal to write the license number on a check submitted.
It's a lot harder to call the DMV to get your address and other info with a license number than it is to pull it from the barcode.

In addition some states have and possibly still do put your SSN in the barcode.
Why would they have to call DMV? Your name and address are required to be on the check. They would not know expiration date of the license or any restrictions on it, etc. But seems to me with name, address and license number that is enough for identity theft.