# How do thieves get money with a stolen ATM card? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 7, 2013, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-thieves-get-money-with-a-stolen-atm-card/646359 "2013-01-07T16:47:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-thieves-get-money-with-a-stolen-atm-card/646359/21 "2013-02-11T18:35:34Z")
> [@steviep24](#): > > This thread made me think of something. Why are four digit PIN numbers still being used? Debit/credit cards would be more secure if they used 7 or 10 digit PIN numbers. Most people have no problem remembering phone numbers so this shouldn’t be a problem for the average person. That would arguably be LESS secure, because I guarantee you even more people would use their phone numbers or 1234567890 just because it’s so much harder to remember a meaningless seven to ten digit string than a four digit one. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-thieves-get-money-with-a-stolen-atm-card/646359/22 "2013-02-11T19:59:59Z")
> [@steviep24](#): > > This thread made me think of something. Why are four digit PIN numbers still being used? Debit/credit cards would be more secure if they used 7 or 10 digit PIN numbers. Most people have no problem remembering phone numbers so this shouldn’t be a problem for the average person. Because it is a two part security system. You have to posses the card AND know the pin. If you enter the wrong pin too many times, you no longer have the card. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-thieves-get-money-with-a-stolen-atm-card/646359/23 "2013-02-11T21:37:36Z")
> [@Apocalypso](#): > > Most, if not all, POS terminals in retail stores allow you to use a debit card as a credit card. You sign the slip instead of entering a PIN. Unfortunately very few cashiers will ask to see your ID. When I worked a register back in the day and asked to see a customers identification, rather than being upset, most customers thanked me saying they’d rather have the security and put up with the minor inconvenience of digging their id out. There have been several threads about this in the past but I’ll just mention that: 1. The reason very few cashiers ask for ID is that they are not supposed to. Most merchant agreements do not allow merchants to make showing ID a condition of sale. Some will allow them to ask for ID but if the customer doesn’t produce an ID the merchant can’t deny the sale. 2. If a card is used fraudulently, the merchant needs only to check the signature on the slip against the card, and then bears no liability. (Most of them do a poor job of this though.) The customer is limited by federal law to $50 of liability for fraudulent use, and no liability at all if they still have their physical card, or have reported the card lost or stolen. Generally the banks won’t hold you liable for anything. The associations would rather bear the cost some fraud and keep it really easy and friendly for people to use their cards. So I don’t know why these merchants ask for ID. I find it annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-thieves-get-money-with-a-stolen-atm-card/646359/24 "2013-02-12T00:16:20Z")
I worked at a movie theatre when those automatic ticket machines were becoming popular. Pickpockets would work the place, (we were very busy) take the cards, buy the tickets and then stand outside and resell them giving a story about how they bought the ticket and can’t see the show. Just sell them for face value or a little less. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-thieves-get-money-with-a-stolen-atm-card/646359.md?page=1)