LONDON, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Beginning Wednesday, shoppers in England who have not memorized their new PIN for using their credit or debit cards may be turned away from shops.
The new system called Chip and PIN will replace the practice of signing the receipt as part of an effort to curb card fraud. PIN stands for personal identification number.
The Times of London reports that a survey has shown more than 5 million people have yet to memorize the code. The survey also says 1-in-10 is not aware of the deadline for the new system to go into effect.
Shop workers' unions, which are expecting long queues of frustrated customers at checkouts, are urging shop owners to ensure their staff is properly trained to cope with flared tempers, says the report.
The report says about 130 million Chip and PIN cards are in circulation. The problem may be especially hard on the elderly who be could be forced to abandon their weekly shopping.
The Chip and PIN cards were introduced in Britain after card fraud losses were projected to reach more then $2 billion by 2008. France has operated a PIN-based system since the 1990s.
