I switched the way my signature abruptly to a very simple wave after watching a person in front of me at the store use just a straight line, and I only use that signature for touchpads. It has produced exactly zero interest from any financial institutions. Signing for credit card usage in these United States is security theater, and we should do away with it. If we want added security, a pin would be much more effective.
You stole that man’s signature.
It was never a security feature. It’s an anti-fraud measure.
It only comes up when you dispute a charge, otherwise there’s generally no reason to inspect the signatures.
There is value to always signing in a consistent and identifiable way, because then if you dispute a charge and the signature is substantially different from how you normally sign, that supports your dispute claim.
It’s actually a good idea to do something more distinctive than just your name in cursive, as that’s likely what someone using your card for fraud would sign with.
It’s actually a good idea to do something more distinctive than just your name in cursive
While i don’t nexessarily disagree with that, just signing your full name in cursive may actually be better than something overimplified. The longer it is, the easier to interpret the handwriting (and harder to fake).
I’d wager that going into something gimmicky like including heart or a bird in your signature would only make it less foolproof. When, say, a bank teller checks their clients’ signature against the one on file, they’re more likely to focus more on the gimmick and less on the habdwriting. And if you shorten your signature as well, that’s an even larger issue.
The same problem applies even if you report something and an analyst is called. You just made the analyst’s job harder and the imposter’s job easier.
And now in 2026 every really important document uses something like DocuSign where you can’t actually use a proper signature unless you have a drawing tablet or want to use a mouse. By default it just stamps your name in cursive font. Hooray
Definitely security theater, ive no clue under what circumstances a signature is checked or really even seen. I mean i think the clerk at the store can see it but then what? Lmao
Yeah, my handwriting has always been shit, and they were still teaching cursive when I was a kid. I just do the seismic wave thing and pretend it’s a signature. My spouse has gorgeous handwriting, you’d think it’s a digital font from a distance.
The act of signing is what is important, whatever squiggly line ensues is irrelevant.
I remember being told to compare signatures in a retail job long ago. It just meant that my employer didn’t understand that either.
Yeah, on discovery they won’t say it’s the same. They’ll just ask if you signed it
Why would just the act be enough? I could still come around the next day and say I never signed those papers, and the proof is my signatures never look the same? (As a hypothetical, normally you’ll have similarities still)
Typically there is at least one witness too: the cashier, a lawyer, the other party.
So, when there is a dispute that makes it to a court of some kind there’s evidence.
That’s true. 🙂
The movie “Catch Me if You Can” drives me batty for this very reason.
People actually caring about this is maybe my least-favorite thing about Panama
