Several days ago I had a credit card stolen and immediately reported it. Within an hour of it being stolen it was used. Aren't merchants required to obtain identification from the user? Also, besides obtaining a copy of the sales receipt from the credit card company to give the police is there anything else I can do to try and track down the person who stole it?
Actually, VISA and Mastercard do not require identification, and if a merchant requires it before they will let you use it to purchase something, VISA and Mastercard will want to know and have a talk with the "merchant".
Tracking this person will be very difficult. In all honesty, it will probably get low priority with the police. By all means, fight this charge with your credit card company. Also, was the charge made before or after you reported your card as stolen? It may make a difference in your financial liability. One thing you may want to try on your credit cards is this. In the signature box, I have in big print, "ask for identification" instead of my signature. I've never had anyone deny me the ability to use my card because it was not signed. I get asked about 60% of the time for verification; the other 40% of people just whip the card through the reader and hand it back. It's not fullproof, but if people check the signature box on a card, it may offer a bit more protection.
