Why don't they check?

Here is a story from the Sun-Sentinel website. I've always wondered why don't retailers ask for ID when someone uses a credit card. I wouldn't take it as an insult. Rather them making sure my card isn't being misused. Six years ago a Visa card of mine got stolen and over $6,000 worth of charges were made to the card before someone got suspicious. Wouldn't it be in the retailer's interst to do these checks?

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LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA -- Broward Sheriff's Office detectives say two men stole a church's debit card and spent thousands of dollars on lingerie, liquor and escort services, news partner NBC 6 reported.

The debit card was stolen from the home of the Rev. Jim Pollack, a deacon at the Community Presbyterian Church and a volunteer firefighter.

"I was devastated. I mean, we live in this small town here with a high level of trust," Pollack said.

BSO detectives said two men were seen trying to use the stolen card at an ATM. They racked up $4,000 in charges at stores such as Winn-Dixie, Walgreens, McDonald's, the Our Place Lounge, ABC Liquors and Victoria's Secret.

"This and that and gift certificates and everything else. I just couldn't believe it," Pollack said.

Pollack told NBC 6's Ari Odzer that he did not know the thieves had racked up a charge for an escort service.

"I had no idea. I mean, the only thing he showed me was that there was a bunch of charges to this place called Champs and kind of showed me the transactions, but I had no idea that they would have used a church card for that," Pollack said.

When asked if he had used the debit card to buy sporting goods or lingerie, Pollack said he hadn't.

"I had to give up on thongs. I just don't have the body for it," Pollack said.

Detectives say the crooks continued to try to use the card after it had been reported stolen.

"These are not the types of purchases a deacon would be making and it was certainly out of character for the previous activity for this debit card. These guys were living large for the better part of a week and it's pretty important that we track them down," said Hugh Graf, spokesman for BSO.