MORE CARE NEEDED WITH PRE-PAID CARDS

31 August 2007

Street corner retail outfits must demand ID


Retail outlets selling pre-paid plastic were caught out at the weekend in a private sting operation initiated by the British newspaper The People. Reporters from the paper, using 14 year old decoy Zak Fussing were able to not only buy pre-paid cards without ID checks, but use them for booze, weapons, porno....and gambling online purchases.

The newspaper concluded from its tests that UK youngsters can get pre-payment cards for just GBP3 from shops and newsagents with little if any checks on their age, name or address.

The teenagers can then order adult goods and services online. Journalists employed by the newspaper discovered that the underaged can use the cards to...

Watch graphic porn films and buy sex videos online.

Obtain booze.

Buy dozens of lethal knives.

Gamble on major sporting events and play internet poker.

The first step was to asked the fresh faced and youthful looking Fussing (14) to buy a pre-paid card - a product available at retail outlets that should not be sold to anyone under the age of 18 years.

Shockingly, the schoolboy obtained one within seconds at his local Nisa store. The teenager was not asked for ID when he loaded GBP50 - half the maximum GBP100 at any one time - on to the Prime Payment Mastercard.

"It was unbelievable how easy it was," Fussing said of his experience. "Kids at school buy these cards so they can order stuff off the internet. Once you have one, you can get away with just about anything."

Credit cards are legally only available to adults who have to go through numerous credit checks, reference and ID checks and must be over 18. But pre-paid credit cards, like the Mastercard issued by IDT Finance, are available in shops in every town, The People claims.

The firm even boasts on its card pack that customers don't need a bank account, ID, application forms or credit checks and don't need to give a name and address. Journalists then registered the card by phone using the false name "Daniel Gurdech" - an anagram of "Under Age Child".

Then, using the fake name and a fake date of birth, the journalists were able to use the card to buy booze, porn and knives on the internet. Using the card, porn purchases were made without trouble or requests for ID from Amazon.co.uk for just GBP6.97.

A set of three knives were bought online from Tesco for GBP4.47, delivered and signed for in person by Zak Fussing with no problems despite Tesco claiming their policy is to make sure all age-restricted goods are signed for by someone over 18.

Oddbins.com took an Internet order and delivered a bottle of Kulov vodka for just GBP 8.99.

And the reporter was able to set up a betting account with online gambling group William Hill and stake a GBP10 gamble on the England v Germany international friendly last week. "Daniel" also logged on to play poker and place more bets.

In further investigations in Glasgow, The People reported that two 17-year-olds and a 14-year-old had no problem buying IDT Prime Cards last week. One of the teenagers used it to set up an account with a bingo firm and start gambling. Another child bought a horror DVD box set - Bride Of Chucky/Seed Of Chucky - for GBP 6.99, despite the films being rated 18. The third used the pre-paid Mastercard to order a 75cl bottle of wine.

When approached by The People journalists, Kalpesh Patel, the owner of the Nisa store where Zak bought a card, admitted: "I know it's illegal but I didn't think he was under 18. From now on we will ask everyone who wants one for ID."

Firms implicated in the scandal were quick to distance themselves. Oddbins said: "If purchases are made using a valid payment method that has not been flagged by the issuer then we are unable to prevent a person knowingly commit fraud."

Tesco said: "We are very concerned that this was able to happen as we have strict processes in place."

Mastercard said: "MasterCard has systems and requirements in place to ensure the appropriate issuance of cards by our business partners."

A William Hill spokesman admitted: "These cards are not helpful but we are confident we have the systems in place to stop those who are under age."

An Amazon.co.uk spokesman said: "In this case we believe the responsibility lies with the card issuer."

IDT Financial Services director Jamie King said: "Now we have been made aware of a vendor selling the Prime card against regulations, IDT Finance will take the appropriate action with the vendor."

The Children's Charities' Coalition for Internet Safety said: "This problem needs to be addressed immediately. Our fear is that thousands of children are seeing violent and graphic adult film scenes which could have an extreme effect on them."

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