So today I was having lunch with 2 people from the security department.  The topic came up about the retailer that had the big data breach.  Ya know the one.

if you have to, go for it. Just wipe with the wipes on the back of the toilet I left for your, (really my,) convenience. Then take a shower.

just leave it hidden in the car and lock your car. the only thing you need to bring is the money and your driver's license, in case she asks to see some ID. personally i've seen quite a few different providers lately and so far i've never been asked to show my ID but i've read that some do so i just carry it to be safe.

everything else can be reversed or disputed.    I hadn't thought of that before, but I usually leave my wallet, watch and jewelry there on a first visit.  Just in case.

deep for me this evening. Plus I'm enjoying some Sangria, want some? I do bet you are a hoot even tho you can be a bit 'much' sometimes. Cheers!!!!!

If there was anyone's hands I'd trust with my fuzzyass self, it would be with you and Ms. Steele.  BTW, I'm a sailor and you know we're good with ropes and knots and stuff like that!!!  Where'd that damn bird go?  He needs to get back on my shoulder and start doin' some surfin'....

Used to do the chain, but got tired of the shit getting all tangled up with my furry chest and pulling the lil suckers out by the roots.

In The Big Apple people years ago were using binoculars to get people's PIN codes, then stealing their wallets.

But here's what I can do for you!
couple of gold chains  
walking stick
big hat, and can get a big feather (bird's gonna be pissed)
big gold knuckle buster ring (OK, not very pimp-ly, it is a college ring from TX but it's BIG)
eye patch (I can put some fake fur on animal print on it)
parrot (just add hot pants, fake fur halter top and go-go boots and he becomes a she- bird's name now Holly from Miami F-L-A)

it's in the same general camp as social engineering; which, again, is not new or unknown (google it). But what happened with the retailer that was recently hacked has absolutely noting to do with shoulder surfing (or social engineering). You don't get access to 90 million peoples info by shoulder surfing...lol...

Small mom-and-pop retailers in my area (specialty book stores, art supplies stores, etc) often have a clipboard on the cash register counter which invites customers to be on the mailing list of the store--and many people "opt-in", writing down their real name, personal email address, sometimes even physical address or phone number.  That info sits there all day, open to inspection by anybody else walking into the store that day--sometimes even longer, as some stores won't collect the sheet until every line is filled in.  Not as bad as giving away your credit card info to be sure, but why put this kind of junk out there?

(And No, I don't live in the boonies.  I live in a 'burb outside a major US city)

It's hard to remember to be protective of one's identity in this era of BookFace-ing and Tweeter-ing, but it's just good common sense.

Like the old saying:  Be careful out there!

The super in your building, your cleaning lady, or babysitter decides to clean you out. How is that different?

Instead of signing the card (Which just let's the their get access to your signature.), write:  "Request photo ID."

When the thief sees that, he (or she) will most likely toss the card back as they don't need the hassle.

occasionally some sales person will bitch that the card is not signed, but it's not a big problem.

Love the word janky never heard that before - I guess if I was a punter I would take my trousers and wallet into the bathroom with me at the beginning of the booking when I took a shower and just keep it near me if I was nervous about the girl. It seems you can't be too careful there are cases here where taxi drivers have been doing shoulder surfing and ripping off people's cards :-

That only helps if they physically steal the card, which is not what this thread is about. Also even if they physicallysteal the card, they don't need to toss it. A stolen credit card is way more likely to be used in places where nobody even asks to see it. Online purchases, gas stations, any place doing small purchases where you just swipe the card without ever showing it to someone.

A hobbyist should not have to worry about whether or not he should bring in his wallet. When going to an appt, I walk in with my purse feeling confident that my wallet won't by touched when I change or grab a towel, etc. It's unfortunate that providers have gotten greedy/desperate at times, resulting in the hobbyist having to worry!!  Word of mouth and repeat clients are important- so what good would it do to take from a client? You may gain an extra hundred dollars that day, but end up in the 'rip-off' category!! :/