Comment by vkou
9 months ago
You don't get a check, you get a gift card for a credit monitoring service that you will never use because all your data leaks all the time already.
Motherfuckers asked my wife her SSN when she was getting a store card the other week. Not a credit card, a store card.
I had a pawn shop try to take my social to buy a air paint sprayer. They said it was a city ordinance.
I left empty handed, even though I think SSN shouldn't be used as a password.
Now that would be a violation of federal law. I would inform the store that my wife is a lawyer, and we can have her law firm contact their law firm to discuss why they are in violation of federal law.
Then I would ask them if they want to reconsider this possibility.
Now, if you actually want to use this tactic, I would suggest you look up the federal law in question, so that you can quote it by section and paragraph. Maybe keep a printed copy with you.
air paint sprayer seems innocuous, but given the problem of graffiti (no matter where you actually live), they likely weren't lying to you.
I said something like "really? for a paint sprayer?"
He said "for anything in the store."
Technically, they’re still a creditor, and creditors get special privileges when it comes to things like that. So, while I would refuse, it’s probably not a violation of federal law.
What is a store card in that case, and how does it differ from credit card (other than, I assume, the place you apply)?
The store cards I have seen are simply store-branded credit cards.
Based on the intonation, I'm guessing it's a "loyalty" card - it tracks your purchases, unlocks some level of default discounts, and will often accrue points you can then use for various purposes. Giant Eagle in the US is a good example - you earn points for every dollar spent, then you can redeem the points for percent off gas at their gas station, a percent off coupon, etc.
(the above description is very bland - add in anti-capitalist/m messaging wherever you deem appropriate, I won't argue)
Some store chains still have their own credit cards that aren't just co-branded. Far less common these days but I've still occasionally signed up for discounts on large purchases.
> What is a store card in that case, and how does it differ from credit card (other than, I assume, the place you apply)?
It's not a credit card, debit card, or any other kind of payment card. It's not even, like, a COSTCO membership card.
It's a tracking card that is used by the store to track your purchases in exchange for a small discount on some items if you swipe it at checkout.
Thank you, and that does seem like a ridiculous thing for which to request an SSN.
Actually, you get one free year of credit monitoring.
After the first year, you'll be asked to pay for monitoring.
Actually, you'll need to input your credit card or other payment details for the one year, and after the first year they'll automatically remove money from it. Cancellation is not posible.
That’s why I sign up with virtual credit cards from privacy.com.
If I don’t like the service, then I can cancel the card. And I can limit them to how much money can be taken out per transaction, or per month, or per year, or total. Or the card could be a one-time only card. And it will be merchant locked, so if anyone else tries to charge that card, they get refused.
Given how many data breaches I've been in, I'm pretty sure I have more unclaimed years of free credit monitoring than there are grains of sand on a beach.