I've never had my cards ripped off, and I only know one person who has. It seems a lot more common in the US (although that could be a false perception from reading threads like this where lots of people discuss how they were).

I think British retailers before Chip and Pin were much more strict about checking signatures on strips as well though. I would relatively frequently ask for secondary ID if I didn't think the signature was a close enough match.

Of course, having said that... next week, the scammers will have got my card. There's nothing like tempting fate