Could thumbprint have helped Lodi woman fight fraud?

Two years ago, Lodi police officers embarked on "Operation Thumbprint," a program in which customers would place a fingerprint on their checks before local stores would accept them.

It seemed like a good plan, officers said at the time, because if the checks had been stolen, the culprit would either leave a fingerprint behind or simply leave without paying by check.

But longtime customers balked, wondering about their privacy and why a store would suddenly doubt them. The program fizzled and the police department still has leftover fingerprint pads, said Crime Prevention Officer Andrea Patterson.

One Lodi resident, though, wonders if it could have prevented someone from fraudulently using her checks all over Lodi and Stockton. Thelma Weaver, 83, last week dealt with 18 forged checks in her name, totaling $1,648.92.

Weaver, whose checks were stolen during a residential burglary in November, closed her bank account, but six months later someone began using the checks at grocery and retail stores. Her daughter's name is also on the checks, so both of them must send copies of the police report and a signed, notarized affidavit to collection agencies for each store where checks were written.

She hadn't heard of Operation Thumbprint but sighed when she heard of its demise.

"Ohhh, they just didn't understand," she said of the program's opponents.

Privacy advocates oppose information gathering, in part because it can lead to identity theft.

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse features a number of theft prevention methods on its Web site, and recommends that customers not disclose their personal information when signing up for grocery store bonus card programs.

The San Diego-based organization also encourages consumers to pay with credit cards or cash, rather than anything linked to a bank account.

The drawback to a thumbprint program, in addition to releasing more information about a person, is that it's not used in most places, said Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

Fraud prevention tips

• To prevent fraud, privacy rights experts recommend that consumers only use cash or credit cards to make purchases.
• Unlike credit cards, checks and debit cards are linked to bank accounts. Though fraudulent charges can usually be reversed, it takes time. Until the fraud is discovered and the money is put back into the bank account, checks can bounce and automatic payments can stop, leading to countless fees and credit rating problems.
• Credit card companies make it easier to stop payments and dispute charges, whether they were fraudulent or just a mistake by a merchant.
• For those who want to use an ATM, banks offer ATM-only cards, which only allow them to be used with a personal identification number, rather than as a credit card.
• If consumers worry about racking up too many charges on a credit card, they can request a card with a low credit limit. The monthly bill must be paid on time to avoid late charges.
Source: http://www.privacyrights.org.

"It's not going to protect the consumer. It's going to protect the business because the criminal is going to know not to go to that merchant; they'll go to other businesses instead," he said.

Local store employees, most of whom declined to give a name due to company policies to not talk to the media, said they require identification, such as a driver's license, before accepting checks.

A Longs Drugs manager said employees are supposed to check identification, as did a corporate spokeswoman for Raley's.

Most stores also have machines they run checks through to check accounts, but that only verifies that they've had no previous problems with the account. Weaver had good credit, so her account wouldn't have been flagged.

A check is actually just a piece of paper serving as a promise to pay, so it takes stores a few days to learn the check is no good. When a bank rejects the check, most stores turn the check over to a collection agency, which tries to get the money.

Credit cards are more fool-proof, Stephens said, because they have better insurance. Unless they're linked to bank accounts, fighting fraud does not include sworn affidavits, as Weaver experienced.

Ultimately, stores need to pay more attention, Stephens said.

As for Weaver, she had already taken a number of precautions, but nothing had quite prepared her for a home burglary, or for collectors' calls more than six months later.

Just this weekend, after she'd mailed off more than a dozen affidavits regarding fraudulent checks written everywhere from Raley's to Safeway to a number of stores in a Stockton mall, Weaver's phone rang Saturday.

A man from a recovery service said Weaver owed $393, but Weaver's week had already been long enough.

"I hung up on him," she said.

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

JD wrote on Jul 10, 2007 8:35 PM:

" Sounds like they caught the b**** who was passing Ms. Weaver's checks. Good on the LPD! "

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Taxpayer & Citizen wrote on Jul 10, 2007 6:20 PM:

" Whoa Nellie, I never use a credit card of any kind for my fuel, always paying cash. My wife learned her lesson the hard way. When paying at the pump, I always use cash also. It's too easy for the pros to get your card number and PIN even from employees at the businesses. You just need to be careful. "

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Whoa Nellie! wrote on Jul 10, 2007 3:19 PM:

" I'm actually sorry to hear about T&C's tale. But that would never happen if you paid in the store like I do. And they keep telling me to pay at the pump. And I agree with "A Reader," most over 70 are scared of the "technology" of an atm card. PLUS, if you place your thumb print on your check it seems this would lead to more ID theft. "

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To a Reader wrote on Jul 10, 2007 2:08 PM:

" My bank sent me a letter, did I want a debit/credit/atm card? My answer was no. A few months later the new card arrived in the mail with explanation that the bank was changing. Until they make the sentences for theft of i d and check fraud and businesses make their employees check each and every card all we can do is take caution and pray. "

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Weezer wrote on Jul 10, 2007 2:07 PM:

" To A READER, clearly, it's not the 83-year old woman's fault. If it were reversed and YOU become a victim of identity theft through your internet transactions, someone would probably comment that you should've just paid by check because it's "safer." Why not blame the thief instead? "

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To a Reader wrote on Jul 10, 2007 2:03 PM:

" I have on the back of my credit card instead of a signature "please see photo i d". Nobody ever checks. I took a trip through 4 states and exactly 2 people bothered to look at the signature. My friend with me sometimes signed her first name and my last and sometimes her name. They could care less as long as they get the money.cont'd "

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Taxpayer & Citizen wrote on Jul 10, 2007 1:36 PM:

" Walmart is the worst store in the world for asking for ID. My wife's card says on the signature line on the back "ask for ID" and when they just ran her through without asking and she asked why, the checker said they weren't instructed to ask. Also check your register receipt for the correct prices, as Walmart is well known for overcharging on about 25% of their products at the register. That's why we don't shop there anymore, only for a special, if it's made in the USA. "

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S & W 500 wrote on Jul 10, 2007 1:26 PM:

" I have a better idea!!! Let us start deterring crime from happening! Teach our children respect and responsibility! Show criminals that crime does not pay by not allowing them to get away with commiting crimes! Make the consequences fast and harsh!!!! I understand Turkish Law has some good suggestions for punishment! "

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To A Reader... You are UNBELIEVABLE!!! wrote on Jul 10, 2007 8:51 AM:

" Blaming the victim for using checks? Why not blame the criminal for stealing them and using them in the first place. So "nice" to see how YOU do it, but some of us still like our checks. YOU are part of the problem not the soloution. "

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Taxpayer & Citizen wrote on Jul 10, 2007 8:30 AM:

" Even my wife and I were ripped off right here in Lodi at the QuikStop where my wife stopped to fuel up and used her debit card right in the pump to pay. Unknown, someone put a plastic card reader insert in that pump and two days later checked my account and saw charges from Lodi and the LA area, $4300.00 worth. Thanks to LPD and a police report and MokelumneCreditUnion, my account was canceled the third day and my money replaced by them. I was one of the lucky ones who caught it early. It can happen to anyone. "

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18 crimes for $ 1,648 = criminal mastermind wrote on Jul 10, 2007 7:39 AM:

" if proper identification was checked by store employees this would not be as much of a problem. from my experience, i know that i have'nt been asked for an i.d. every time i've written a check from my account. lazy store employees eager to move you along are the last defense. they care more about moving their line than doing what they should. "

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A Reader wrote on Jul 10, 2007 7:18 AM:

" The real problem is Weaver's use of checks. Her generation still keeps them around are use them in stores. I keep my checks in a home safe and never ever write a check at a a store. I pay my bills on the computer. I write only one or two checks a month mailed with attachments. There is more protection with credit cards (cancel all Visa/MC debit cards). Writing checks puts out too much information in public in the hands of too many strangers. The elderly don't learn anymore and don't seem to get it. "

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