I was once refused a consumer credit application for a kitchen appliance because I'd forgotten to sign the back of my credit card. I had a passport and a photo driving license on me at the time but because there wasn't a signature they "couldn't be sure" it was me so they refused to process the application.
I signed it in front of them (which matched my passport signature BTW) but was politely declined as they'd seen the card unsigned.
Another example of security policy getting in the way of actual security.
I had a slightly similar experience: I forgot to sign the back of my card, but the person just asked me to sign it and then made sure it matched my signature on the receipt.
You could have stolen the card of an homonym, so it kind of make sense. Printing a photo of the owner on credit cards would go a very long way and isn't too expensive, but this is a very high inertia industry.
I signed it in front of them (which matched my passport signature BTW) but was politely declined as they'd seen the card unsigned.
Another example of security policy getting in the way of actual security.