Stores swipe driver's license for returns

CINCINNATI - A heads up for anyone planning to return something at a store. The store may not just ask for your name and phone number anymore, they may demand your drivers license.

It's a new trend that's not sitting well with some shoppers.    

Just a $4 cash return

Emily Adams recently decided  to return a $4 spool of yarn she purchased from a Michaels store. She had the receipt, and since she had paid cash, she expected an easy return. She was wrong.

Adams said "she asked me for my driver's license. I thought it was weird, but then I thought, she's just going to look at it to know it's me."

But Adams says the clerk did not simply look at the license, she swiped it through the register.

Adams was stunned. "I asked her, what information did that record from my license?  And she said all of it."

More stores doing this

Michaels is one of a growing number of retailers now swiping driver's licenses for returns to prevent theft.

Michaels' website clearly states you must provide a valid license or U.S. passport for any return, no matter how small.

But some customers are complaining, saying they don't want stores to have their license number, birth date, and address.

A Class Action Lawsuit just filed in Federal Court in West Palm Beach is demanding that Best Buy stop this very same practice.

And at least one California Congressman wants the policy outlawed.

Adams says while she loves the crafts sold by Michaels, It's not worth making a return to get back just a couple of bucks.

What you can do

Michaels and Best Buy both insist driver's license data is safe, is not sold, and is kept only for internal fraud prevention. But if you don't want to give them that information, then don't plan on returning anything you buy there.    

That way you don't waste your money.
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