Moneybookers account locked

[Cesar]

Hello,

My Moneybookers account is locked since Tuesday for outgoing transaction.

I've not received any notification from MB, but when I try to deposit on 32Red a information popup inform me that I had to send documents to "[email protected]" to unlock account.

A little strange (I have all my info verified a year ago, including bank details, credit card and address), but , ok, I sent the info required. After two more emails asking when I'll get the account unlock (no response), I decided to contact then via Messaging Centre from the web site. Next day I received an email saying that my account had been locked due to a non authorized access to my account and that I have to change my email address for a new one. Another strange thing, so I decided to call them (altough my english is not too good ). The representative says to me that this is neccesary by their Security Department (the one that doesn't respond my emails, by the way). But ok, I change my email address online with her. She checks that I've already changed it and tell me she will talk with the Security department to unlock. Today the account is still locked.

I've been reading some internet threats and I've seen more people with same problem and the account locked from more than a month

I'm a little scared with that .

I've already read that people open a complaint in their web site claiming to contact with Financial Ombudsman? and FSA.

Any help in the best way to proceed?

Any advice will be appreciated

Thank you very much.

 

[Cesar]

THANKS 32RED

UPDATE: After a week, this morning my account has been unlocked.

I want to give a big thanks to all 32Red team (especially Dale) who offered me their help in addressing this issue . I'm completely sure the actual situation would be quite different without them.

MB has never informed me about the status of the issue, no responding emails (including when they unlocked my account). To other MB customers, please, be aware of them. I've been using MB during a year with no problems or need to contact them, until something like this happens. Then is when you realise the customer support offered, one of the worst I've ever seen.

Thanks 32 Red. I understand why you're the Best Online Casino every year. You deserve it :notworthy.

Cesar.

 

[FourTeller]

More MB Woes

Just bumping this thread to add that I'm in almost exactly the same situation as described in the opnening post: My Moneybookers account was locked without any notification whatsoever, except for a notice after logging that appears only when trying to access the 'send money' or 'withdraw' pages. One significant difference is that, after spending the last few years in Canada, I returned to my home country in early March only to discover that online gaming deposits from here are now restricted by MB - though that didn't stop them accepting hundreds of dollars' worth of cashouts when I was still unaware of the fact.

Nevertheless, I dutifully notified them of my change of address and sent them all the necessary verification documents as soon as I could within a couple of months of the move. My funds continued sitting in Moneybookers until the weekend before last, when I logged into my account briefly and tried out the 'send money' feature (which I have rarely used and not recently) by attempting to send a fraction of my funds to an email address already in the dropdown menu, which just happened to be from a poker site I had previously dealt with. The transaction was declined as I knew it would be from previous attempts to deposit directly at gaming sites, but nothing else unusual had happened after those instances.

It's now been just over a week since I discovered my acount was locked, without even an automatic email notification. Twice I have sent the requested documents but, other than one question about what I was using my account (that I answered in great detail) received after my first email to them, I've heard absolutely nothing from Moneybookers regarding the situation. While changing my country of registration from a respected (if sometimes ignored) G8 nation to a struggling developing country certainly doesn't make dealing with this type of issue any easier, what I've seen of others who have had similar poor experiences with this ewallet suggests their disregard for customers in these cases is universal.

Even before leaving Canada, I had already started to shift more transactions to alternative services; now I wish I had been aware of my country being restricted so that I could have cut Moneybookers off once and for all. I did try to research the legality of online gaming from here beforehand but nothing came up in my online searches and it's not specifically listed in their T&Cs. In fact I still don't know exactly why it is not allowed, because Neteller also doesn't work here now when I believe it did before - yet most sites still accept me as a real money customer and other payment methods are also still available.

Needless to add, I'm very unhappy that Moneybookers have not only frozen my funds in this abrupt manner, when I am finally ready to do something with them after several months of inactivity, but have been so unresponsive. While I know what it's like to have limited funding options for online gaming, I would strongly urge anyone who has other viable choices available to them to keep away from MB, not just for this type of reason but also a few other questionable practices of theirs that have become evident over time e.g. disclosing certain users' account activity to merchants, promoting shady gaming sites on their promo pages etc.

 

[villa10]

These kind of comments about Moneybookers are around in many forums and several industries. I think I will ban this company as a payment option.

 

[FourTeller]

My Money Back

Well I just logged into my MB account today to find that it has finally been unlocked Not sure whether it was one of the several messages I sent that did the trick - including one through the official complaints page where I mentioned my intent to take the matter up with the FSA if necessary - or 'sort of' accidentally submitting a request to close my account (was obviously displeased with the site but just wanted to see what the shutdown process involved, if it got to that point, and thought there would be a confirmation page, but there wasn't), or everything combined. Either way, I'm very relieved to have access to my funds again after about a fortnight, especially after all the horror stories I've seen from other customers who've been in limbo for many months.

Note, however, that I still do not know what in particular triggered this situation to begin with. Plus I discovered my account had been unlocked the same way I found out it was locked in the first place: by logging in and trying to access certain transaction features. Other than a brief message late last week informing me that my documents had been forwarded to the security department, there was nothing to indicate that anything was being done on Moneybookers' end to resolve the issue. No email or other type of communication was received from the site itself alerting me that I could move my money around once again. So my caution against using this ewallet, whenever and wherever possible, remains unchanged - at least until they change their uncommunicative customer service and questionable operating methods for the better.

 

[Pred]

Same problem here. Been almost 3 weeks now. The first documents I sent were denied because the copy of my identity card was in black and white... Resent a coloured one and havent heard from them since (that was 2 weeks ago).

After reading FourTeller's post I decided to file a complaint aswell through the Moneybookers system. See if that helps. I really hate it that there is no way to contact Moneybookers except by email. The phone number they list on their website doesn't even work!

I guess all I can really do now is wait some more

 

[FourTeller]

Same problem here. Been almost 3 weeks now. The first documents I sent were denied because the copy of my identity card was in black and white... Resent a coloured one and havent heard from them since (that was 2 weeks ago).

After reading FourTeller's post I decided to file a complaint aswell through the Moneybookers system. See if that helps. I really hate it that there is no way to contact Moneybookers except by email. The phone number they list on their website doesn't even work!

I guess all I can really do now is wait some more

Wish you the best of luck in getting things resolved To be honest, after initially bombarding Moneybookers with many messages over a week or so, I had resigned myself to a long wait of weeks or months based on what I'd read of other people's experiences Phone was never really an option for me as it's very expensive from here and, again from what I'd read, still not a very effective means of communicating with them.

From what I understand, sending a complaint is different from a 'regular' message as MB are obliged to respond and, if they don't do so to your satisfaction within eight weeks, you can take up the matter with the FSA, the official British body that regulates the company. While there has been some debate over whether non-residents can appeal to them, I saw a post from someone who seemed experienced with how the system works stating that those outside the UK could also use it.

 

[vinylweatherman]

Wish you the best of luck in getting things resolved To be honest, after initially bombarding Moneybookers with many messages over a week or so, I had resigned myself to a long wait of weeks or months based on what I'd read of other people's experiences Phone was never really an option for me as it's very expensive from here and, again from what I'd read, still not a very effective means of communicating with them.

From what I understand, sending a complaint is different from a 'regular' message as MB are obliged to respond and, if they don't do so to your satisfaction within eight weeks, you can take up the matter with the FSA, the official British body that regulates the company. While there has been some debate over whether non-residents can appeal to them, I saw a post from someone who seemed experienced with how the system works stating that those outside the UK could also use it.

It is odd that "regular" CS messages are ignored for weeks, or even months, but the merest hint of a FORMAL complaint, and they go into overdrive. It suggests they KNOW they have fallen short of requirements, and do NOT want the issue to escalate to the FSA, who will look into both the complaint, and why it was not possible to resolve the matter internally.

The only real way to check whether the FSA will look into a complaint from a non-UK resident is to ask them, or check the rules. EU residents should be able to complain to the FSA if their issue is with a UK regulated company, just as UK residents should complain to, say, the French regulator if our gripe is with a French financial firm.
There is also the Banking Ombudsman, who looks at complaints against a narrower range of firms, but it seems both Moneybookers and Neteller stress they are NOT a "bank", even though you can have vast sums of money on deposit with them.

The FSA could certainly look into cases of poor service and maladministration at Moneybookers, and even go so far as strip them of their small emoney issuing license (effectively ending them as a money movement service). Sadly, in the recent financial crisis, the FSA has been shown to be pretty useless, allowing the UK banking system to come within a gnat's whisker of meltdown without anybody noticing - something that will hurt our wallets for years, if not decades, to come.

 

[lauram]

I must bump this thread up. I myself as of yesterday have just found out my moneybookers account is locked also. I have emailed them and have done as they asked but to no avail. I have added a new email and another new password yet still i find this account is locked. I to had submitted my id in last year and had been approved. Funds are sitting in the account yet I am unable to move them at all. I have tried a few of the phone numbers to be told the number is no longer in service. No response back from my emails to moneybookers at all. What is the next step in regarding these issues. It is for this reason that i prefer to use my instadebit deposits. My problems started as a few of the casinos do not pay back into instadebit so this left me no choice but to move it into moneybookers account.

 

[vinylweatherman]

I must bump this thread up. I myself as of yesterday have just found out my moneybookers account is locked also. I have emailed them and have done as they asked but to no avail. I have added a new email and another new password yet still i find this account is locked. I to had submitted my id in last year and had been approved. Funds are sitting in the account yet I am unable to move them at all. I have tried a few of the phone numbers to be told the number is no longer in service. No response back from my emails to moneybookers at all. What is the next step in regarding these issues. It is for this reason that i prefer to use my instadebit deposits. My problems started as a few of the casinos do not pay back into instadebit so this left me no choice but to move it into moneybookers account.

Well, Moneybookers has set it self up for GAMBLING as it's main use, so WHY does it have such a problem when customers use it in this way.

CASINOS should worry about this issue too, if players lose confidence in the eWallets, it will be MUCH HARDER for players to DEPOSIT, and the AMOUNTS they can deposit, and the SPEED at which they can deposit will all reduce.

Neteller lets me deposit 2000, 3000 even in one go, and I can do it again, and again. If I had NO eWallet because I no longer trusted them, I would be using "safe" methods, such as credit and debit cards. This would SEVERELY limit the amounts I could deposit, and there would be a THREE DAY wait "in the system" whilst money moves, unlike the "instant" nature of eWallets. My DEBIT card throws a fit if I go over 100 into a casino as for UKash, takes all DAY to rustle up a mere 50 deposit, with any withdrawal having to be by cheque to my registered address.
This is in the UK of all places, in countries where the law is still a little "grey", eWallets are often the ONLY way players can transact with casinos.

These tales of large sums of players' money simply "disappearing" without any real access to formal justice for the player are worrying. Organisations that SHOULD be offering protection merely "pass the buck", and the offending institution merely has to cut off it's phones, and ignore emails, to more or less get to keep the money.

 

[lauram]

Thanks Gowild

After I found my moneybookers account locked, gowild asked me if it was ok for them to step in and assist me. This casino went out of their way not only to assist me with moneybookers, buy they also had them unlock my account for me. Now that is what I call customer service. Off to play and my moneybookers funds are going to the gowild casino.

 

[irirazvan]

Hello guys.When i searched the web regarding moneybookers i found this forum.
I`m also a moneybookers victim.3 days ago i got a mail that my account got blocked for outgoing transactions because as they say my account might have been exposed for unauthorized access.I`ve never recieved any mails that my login failed so obviously no one tried to log in my account.I have no clue how they can lock someone out just like that.After a high number of mails that i sent them i got a mail saying that i have to send them a photo of an identification.Just last year i sent them a copy of my ID and got a validation of my address.
So i decide to send them my ID photo again and obviously no one answered since then.This is ridiculous.They lock someone out for no good reason and then they completely ignore the customer

 

[hushda24]

I too had lots of problems with moneybookers,I infact made a thread here a while ago when i kept geting emails with my password changed
Not once but at least 6 different occasions
Then after a while my account was locked
So thats how i have left it to this day
Now i use payapl and had no problems what so ever for 2 years or more now

 

[vinylweatherman]

Hello guys.When i searched the web regarding moneybookers i found this forum.
I`m also a moneybookers victim.3 days ago i got a mail that my account got blocked for outgoing transactions because as they say my account might have been exposed for unauthorized access.I`ve never recieved any mails that my login failed so obviously no one tried to log in my account.I have no clue how they can lock someone out just like that.After a high number of mails that i sent them i got a mail saying that i have to send them a photo of an identification.Just last year i sent them a copy of my ID and got a validation of my address.
So i decide to send them my ID photo again and obviously no one answered since then.This is ridiculous.They lock someone out for no good reason and then they completely ignore the customer

If someone was able to hack your MB account SUCCESSFULLY, you would NOT receive any emails that your login failed. SOMETHING made them think your account had been compromised, so they stop money leaving, and ask for ID FROM THE PERSON USING THE ACCOUNT. This is to ensure it is STILL YOU!

The problem is that their customer service is often TERRIBLE, so they are very inefficient at dealing with this kind of non standard situation, and often ignore customers, or take ages to do the slightest thing.

Neteller can be almost as bad when it comes to non standard CS issues. MOST things with Neteller and Moneybookers are done online, with no need for their CS to get involved.

Many have complained about the unresponsiveness of Moneybookers, more so than from Neteller. I suspect many of the account lockdowns are automated too, so CS may not even have a clue why an account is locked.

There is a way to make a FORMAL complaint though, and this is NOT the same as contacting CS with a grievance. A FORMAL complaint is covered by FSA rules, and REQUIRES a response within a reasonable timeframe, however, it CANNOT be served by email, it has to be by post, and it is best to get proof of delivery. This, unfortunately, is not so easy to do for a customer OUTSIDE the UK, but within the UK it is easy to send something "recorded delivery" so that proof of delivery can be obtained, preventing the excuse of "we never received your complaint" of which errant businesses are fond.

 

[worriora]

Moneybookers scam

Hello,

I don't want to create another thread here to mess things up so i'll post in this one my complaint.

It all started 3 weeks ago when i wanted to deposit some cash at Bet365 using Moneybookers. When i got to the "send money" page i've got this message:

Your account is locked for outgoing transfers and credit/debit card payments therefore we cannot complete this transaction.

To unlock your account, you must provide us with scanned copies of the following documents:

* Your valid official identification document such as your international passport, national identity card or driving licence;
* Proof of address such as recent utility bill or bank statement;


Please send them via email to: [email protected]

So i thought that by sending what they wanted they will unlock my account and all things will be ok. After sending my ID and a utility bill to them i've got the exact same e-mail back as the message above, to send the documents again.

I've send them again but till now i've got no reply from them. On October 20, i wrote a complaint to them but still haven't got any reply back even thou more than 5 working days passed.

I had 700 EUR in that account and i preffer giving those to a charity rather than let them in that account so that these ***** spend them

I have no ilegal transaction and i use moneybookers only for online gambling. I have my adress verified, as well as my credit card and bank account. Also, i am a moneybookers clinet for over 2 years and i've send my ID and a utility bill last year also after they closed my account in a similar way. (back then, my account was unlocked next day).

If anyone can help me get my account back i would appreciate it a lot!

Thanks a lot!
Gaby.

 

[lauram]

Hi Gaby I know how frustrating this can be. With the help of gowild casino I would never of gotten my moneybookers account back open. I also read another player asked 32red for help and that worked. Is there a mg casino that you fund often with moneybookers account. If so hit live chat and explain to them that you wish to play but you have this issue at hand. I myself had sent over and over all my details with no avail. Yet 5 hours later after gowild got involved opened. I think I was the biggest problem with having it locked.
Got those crazy emails saying someone used wrong password. So sure enough i flew off a email and boom locked. As vw stated if someone wanted into your account you would not of gotten this set of emails from moneybookers.

 

[worriora]

Hello Lauram,

I played only at Gamebookers Casino and Bet365 Casino and Poker, but if you say that gowild casino can help me i promise that after my account will be unlocked i'll play there also.

It seems that i ran out of options. I never thought that this is going to happen to me. DAMN!

Any ideas please?

 

[lauram]

Hello Lauram,

I played only at Gamebookers Casino and Bet365 Casino and Poker, but if you say that gowild casino can help me i promise that after my account will be unlocked i'll play there also.

It seems that i ran out of options. I never thought that this is going to happen to me. DAMN!

Any ideas please?

I would get in touch with bet365 and ask. As they have all your id and can verify that you have made deposits with them. Also helps if you had any withdrawals as this shows your account used both ways. I do not think asking a casino that you have not deposited in will help much. As they do not know you as a player. You need a casino that can verify who you are.
Pain in the butt I know, soon as you get it opened get the funds out of there and try not to use the account again. I was stuck as this one casino i played at would only pay me into moneybookers or a mailed cheque.

 

[Jasminebed]

Here's a link to a thread where I was requested verification https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/threads/moneybookers-annual-verification.32116/

Some important points to keep in mind when dealing with Moneybookers.

a. Use their internal messaging system to contact them. Don't send a following up "What's the status" message, or you will go back to the bottom of the queue.

b. You will not be notified by them when your account is unlocked, so just keep checking it.

If I were you, I'd contact the Bet365 CS. They seem to have very good inhouse support. You might be transferred a couple of times and have to wait, but in the end you will get someone who has some knowledge of your issues.

Casinos are most anxious to have us deposit, and will do their utmost to render you assistance, as they have other members.

I am overall very happy with Moneybookers, and my verification process went quite well once documents were received.

Regarding your submission of ID documents? I was asked to UPLOAD them via the security section of the messaging centre in the email sent to me.

Seems as if they are more frequently asking clients for Annual verifications, so perhaps it is taking longer for them to deal with it in the past. My request for verification was early July.

 

[vinylweatherman]

Here's a link to a thread where I was requested verification https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/threads/moneybookers-annual-verification.32116/

Some important points to keep in mind when dealing with Moneybookers.

a. Use their internal messaging system to contact them. Don't send a following up "What's the status" message, or you will go back to the bottom of the queue.

b. You will not be notified by them when your account is unlocked, so just keep checking it.

If I were you, I'd contact the Bet365 CS. They seem to have very good inhouse support. You might be transferred a couple of times and have to wait, but in the end you will get someone who has some knowledge of your issues.

Casinos are most anxious to have us deposit, and will do their utmost to render you assistance, as they have other members.

I am overall very happy with Moneybookers, and my verification process went quite well once documents were received.

Regarding your submission of ID documents? I was asked to UPLOAD them via the security section of the messaging centre in the email sent to me.
Seems as if they are more frequently asking clients for Annual verifications, so perhaps it is taking longer for them to deal with it in the past. My request for verification was early July.

This might be the problem. They ask for documents, but give no specific instructions as to HOW. Casinos normally ask them to be sent by email, the Moneybookers method seems far more secure, but unusual, so HOW can customers know unless MONEYBOOKERS TELLS THEM!

Rather than a "normal" complaint, you would need to send a FORMAL complaint. Every firm with an FSA licence has to have an internal and FORMAL complaints procedure, and this includes the stipulation that they MUST RESPOND in a "reasonable time". An INFORMAL complaint just goes through regular CS, and does not carry the weight of a FORMAL complaint.

A formal complaint is normally served by post, not email, and to their postal address. If possible, obtain proof of delivery so Moneybookers cannot deny receiving it. The clock starts when they receive it, and if you have the proof of delivery, you will know when you should receive a response.

You could also ask for a disclosure under the Data Protection Act, where for 10 they have to send you ALL the data they hold on you. This could reveal what has gone wrong, and may be down to an uncorrected mistake.

If Moneybookers even THINKS that an account has been funded by unauthorised use of a debit or credit card, it will lock the account IMMEDIATELY, and sort it out later. This is to prevent money from being moved quickly from a stolen credit card to a merchant who could be a co-operating party to the scam, or even merely facillitating it, such as a poker room, where an attempt to "chip dump" may be made as a means to get the stolen funds out.

Unfortunately, it seems casinos and ewallets are getting increasingly "trigger happy", and complaints such as this are getting more frequent. The biggest problem is when they get it WRONG, they are NOT so active when it comes to clearing mistaken account lockings.

If this was merely "routine", you would receive a request for documents BEFORE the account was locked. The fact it was locked and the request came ONLY when you discovered this, probably means something "odd" triggered a security lockdown.

 

[worriora]

Hello and thanks all for your support.

I've send them a FORMAL complaint via their website.

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Those 5 days passed but i still haven't got any reply back.

MY Moneybookers account was never funded by credit/debit card! Most of the money that i receive in that account are from affiliates payments. I have 2 betting websites and monthly i get like 500 EUR in that account.

I don't know what's odd but i surely haven't done any ilegal things for this to happen. I think that this is the biggest abuse that i've suffered and more, i can't do anything about it.

@lauram, i've send a request to gamebookers, where i often play at their sportsbook, here is the reply:

Thank you for contacting Customer Service.
I am sorry if you experience any problems with your Moneybookers account.
However I would like to inform you that we will not be able to contact Moneybookers and assist you with this. Moneybookers is separate and independent company and if you have issues with your account, you should contact their Customer Service as only they can assist you further.
As per your Gamebookers account I would like to remind you that you can deposit using some other deposit option. To check the deposit options we support for you, click on Cashier and then on Deposit and you will be displayed all methods with short description for each one of them.

 

[worriora]

Here are my 2 transactions from where i have this balance:

Expired Image

First is from gambling-affiliation.com and the second is from expekt affiliates.

Before i had like 6 or 7 EUR in my account.

 

[vinylweatherman]

Here are my 2 transactions from where i have this balance:

Expired Image

First is from gambling-affiliation.com and the second is from expekt affiliates.

Before i had like 6 or 7 EUR in my account.

Well, they quote 5 days, so wait a few more, making it 10, and then tell them that since you have received no response within the 5 days quoted in the guide to their internal complaints procedure, you will be referring the case to the financial ombudsman.

It is worrying that they are crippling what is effectively your BUSINESS by doing this. Moneybookers have NO EXCUSE WHATSOEVER for not understanding this industry, and must know full well that there are AFFILIATES that can range from the big down to the small player-affiliate, whose commission payments may be small. One transaction is even tagged with it's source, and is therefore clearly an affiliate payment.

You may have more luck asking one of these affiliate programs for help. The idea that casinos don't have any dealings with Moneybookers in this way regarding players accounts is UTTER BULLSHIT. This became clear in a case regarding PKR casino & poker, where a player was regarded as a "bonus abuser", and PKR, it turned out, had made a complaint to Moneybookers about this player's activities, which resulted in Moneybookers closing their account. When it suits them, they WILL contact Moneybookers, or any other processor for that matter. Go Wild, in another case, WERE able to contact Moneybookers on behalf of a player, and it DID get things sorted out.

 

[worriora]

Well, i contacted Go Wild also. If they will solve my problem all those money are going to their casino, and i promise i will never use Gamebookers and Moneybookers again!

If you have any other ideas about dealing with this situation i am open to try everything just to get my money out.

Thank you for your email and for bringing this to our attention.

We will forward your request to Moneybookers and we will do our best to get this issue resolved as soon as possible.

If there is anything else we can assist you with please feel free to contact us.

--
Kind Regards,

GoWild Casino
Finance Department

 

[vinylweatherman]

Well, i contacted Go Wild also. If they will solve my problem all those money are going to their casino, and i promise i will never use Gamebookers and Moneybookers again!

If you have any other ideas about dealing with this situation i am open to try everything just to get my money out.

Are you able to use Neteller. I use them, and know how they work far better than Moneybookers.

Neteller are by no means "excellent", but they are no so elusive when it comes to contacting them, especially if you become a VIP.

Neteller WILL ask for your documents, and these will be similar to those needed to verify a casino withdrawal. 1x photo ID and 1x proof of address. They have another level of verification too, which is to connect your Neteller account to your bank account. Neteller then perform a verification on this by depositing a small amount into your bank, and you have to tell them how much it was. It helps a great deal to denominate your Neteller account in the same currency as your bank account (so you have no problems determining the value of the micropayment).
Having done this, you will have a fully verified Neteller account. To become VIP takes 3 months of depositing the equivalent of $6000 per month with "merchants" (casinos in other words). This is GROSS deposits, not deposits-withdrawals, so you do not have to LOSE $6000 a month.
With a verified bank account attached to your Neteller account, you can withdraw via bank transfer, or get a Net+ card to use your Neteller account for shopping.

Neteller may also ask AGAIN for documents, a pain, but this is down to a requirement to keep their records up to date, and this kind of request can be annually received.
The quicker you can divert your affiliate payments away from Moneybookers, the better.

 

[worriora]

I think a lot of doing this.. but at the present my biggest problem is to withdraw those money from moneybookers.

The thing that bothers me the most is that they are not replying to my e-mails. They have no reason for doing this and the only option left for me to think is that they are SCAM and they don't want to pay that balance.

If this is it, than i promise that i will begin the biggest "anti moneybookers" campaign that the web had seen till now.

The complains against them are in huge numbers:

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https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/threads/beware-of-moneybookers.26077/

 

[vinylweatherman]

I think a lot of doing this.. but at the present my biggest problem is to withdraw those money from moneybookers.

The thing that bothers me the most is that they are not replying to my e-mails. They have no reason for doing this and the only option left for me to think is that they are SCAM and they don't want to pay that balance.

If this is it, than i promise that i will begin the biggest "anti moneybookers" campaign that the web had seen till now.

The complains against them are in huge numbers:

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/threads/beware-of-moneybookers.26077/

Just try uploading your documents on their secure upload service, even though they have never replied to you, or told you such a service exists. Make a note of when, and you can use this in your complaint to the FSA.

Perhaps a Moneybookers user could give a step by step guide to this.

At the same time, take steps to ensure that FUTURE affiliate payments do not end up locked away in your Moneybookers, which is the main reason for suggesting you look at Neteller. You will STILL, of course, be working towards getting your money out of Moneybookers, and will also be prepared if Moneybookers decides not to allow you to keep the account.
Banks have been caught throwing customers out when they have had the NERVE to complain to the FSA or the Ombudsman about poor treatment, and Moneybookers is more lightly regulated than the banks.

 

[free bet]

Speaking of MB, anyone know how to get VIP status here? they ask me to send a picture of the bank statement showing the MB deposit, but MB does NOT appear in the deposit line, only a number, they always deny....

 

[Jasminebed]

Sorry I can't be of help. I checked my bank statement, it clearly shows Moneybookers as the source of the incoming wire. I recently had to verify my account.

 

[worriora]

A lot of time passed but still my account is closed..

 

[worriora]

problem solved, i reached them on twitter and they've urged my verification. I have my account unlocked now Thanks a lot all for your support.

 

[JHV]

I read the first page and skipped to the end.

Don't have time to read or debate the rest but Moneybookers >>> NETeller by such a long way it's just really unbelievable. As both a high volume player and poker affiliate across almost every site / network, I have a huge demand for alternatives to Moneybookers - but I will NEVER user NETeller again for as long as I live.

The arrogance and the terrible customer service at NETeller (yes, I was VIP and if there were ranks above VIP, I would have been those) were just gob-smacking unbelievable. Every time I contacted them, even about trivial matters. It was unbelievable.

Moneybookers aren't perfect, but they destroy NETeller in every facet of their operations...which is why they've taken so much market share from NETeller (who *might* be better now - my hellish year with them was directly post UIGEA). Either way, they're an horrendous company. Some of the chats with NETeller staff I and others posted were works of comedy - stuff that beat Rome CS chat I posted.

Are Moneybookers perfect? Of course not. They're a huge company and there are some issues with arrogance with CS refusing to admit mistakes they've made even when players show them proof (that could have a lot to do with training to avoid litigation and stuff) - but almost every time I hear of Moneybookers locking an account of a player I know, either the player is already known to be 'dodgy'...or they're later proved so. NETeller routinely was locking mine and other high volume players' accounts and demanding IDs multiple times in a calendar year - for one guy, > 15 times he sent them IDs to unlock his account - which was locked for no reason with none given when reopened each time.

 

[Jasminebed]

problem solved, i reached them on twitter and they've urged my verification. I have my account unlocked now Thanks a lot all for your support.

I would have never thought of using Twitter. Is there something on the moneybooker's site that lead you to this solution, or did you decide on this course of action from some other source?

I will, however, remember that this worked for you if I or another forum member is having similar problems with Moneybookers.

 

[worriora]

Twitter was one of my anti moneybookers plan to tell everyone to avoid them, but after i posted some messages about my situation they've contacted me and managed to unlock my account.

Anyway, i realized that moneybookers are not a bad company, it's all about they CS team that sucks and if you find a well trained employer you have good chace to get your problem solved.

@JHV, in my case it wasn't about nothing 'dodgy' so your interpretation about this is not correct.

Anyway, i'm glad that my problem has been solved and hopefully it will not repet itself again.

 

[JHV]

@JHV, in my case it wasn't about nothing 'dodgy' so your interpretation about this is not correct.

Sorry dude my sentence structure was poor there. I wasn't trying to imply your problem with them was due to you being dodgy - although if you've given their reason for the account being locked, I've missed it.

I was trying to say that based on the experiences of all the people I've known on a personal level, who posted on forums with their complaints about Moneybookers and NETeller, it's striking how often (for my spectrum) the ones complaining about NETeller were the shining lights of ethical behaviour and the ones complaining about Moneybookers had 'questions' or 'unresolved' disputes or issues of ethical nature - which leads me personally (along with my own experience with those jokers at NETeller) to believe that Moneybookers get this stuff right a lot - and NETeller are a joke company that shouldn't be in operation.

But you know, policies change and people change. I could have it wrong now - but they're brilliant for me and have been for a very long time when NETeller would almost ruin me from time to time with their rogue actions.

But Moneybookers have started promoting roguish casinos now on their website which is strange, to say the least. Of course they'll wash their hands of any rogue behaviour from those promoted brands when it inevitably occurs, and you could argue that's almost roguish in itself right there.

To the player earlier in the thread who questioned about VIP on Moneybookers, it's pretty similar to NETeller now (used to be a LOT harder and not openly publicised): You just need to ship 5k euro or more to a gaming merchant in any given month I *think* - maybe it changes from month to month though. No idea what your bank problem is - that's something you should take up with your bank I *think*. The wires show exactly who the remittance is from.

 

[vinylweatherman]

Neteller to me is the "devil I know".

Their CS can be terrible, and you can be on hold for a while, however, calling them is FREE. Moneybookers, on the other hand, offer PREMIUM RATE phone support, and online support.
Many complaints regarding Moneybookers have included non-responsive CS as the main reason issues are dragged out for so long.
worriora was trying in vain to open a clear and reliable path of communication, yet when he starts relating his tale of woe on TWITTER of all places, Moneybookers contact HIM, and the problem is resolved quickly. This shows that it was ONLY the inept CS, and not the issue at hand, that caused the problem in the first place.

Neteller are also very good at ignoring emails, but at least with FREE phone support I can badger them constantly, and THEY are paying for it if I have to keep on contacting them.

Neteller ARE worried about something though, because they have recently been running BONUS promotions, even though they say they are not a casino
Often, it is something like a 0.5% cashback on all deposits with "merchants" over a period of a few weeks. You have to exceed your "personal target" as well, clearly to encourage those players who might use more than one ewallet, to shift EVERYTHING over to Neteller for the duration. Neteller make money from the increase in fees this increase in volume produces.

If Neteller "take the p**$ with me though, I MAY jump ship to Moneybookers, because I might value a "fresh start" more than doing further battle with a broken Neteller. Having my account constently locked might be something that would make me move, but my account has only been locked once, and it was resolved by a single phonecall. It was locked when I used a PC at my Mum's house to check my balance, and was due to the connection being out of character with the connection IP range I usually use to access the account.

 

[JHV]

Ah ok - I was a staunch NETeller Man until they went crazy post-UIGEA and started developing a culture of terrible rude, arrogant CS - I'm not sure if I can find the hilarious transcripts (well not so funny, really - hilarious if you're not the victim) posted in 07 as that forum effectively was rebuilt and I think most old posts were deleted - but it was some really messed up stuff, and I had similar conversations with them to those transcripts.

Just with the phone charge issue - you don't use Skype at all? I'm almost certain I can call my VIP Manager at MB free on Skype. If there is a charge, it will be something negligible like a few cents a minute. But pretty sure to all US phones, it's free (?) - I dunno, I loaded my Skype with $20 a year ago and haven't reloaded since and use it often for international calls.

-----

Yes to the NETeller promotions - they are absolutely shocking because they encourage poker players to use a free (for the player) service which charges massive fees at merchant end. I know this has infuriated some merchants (obv) but they're held hostage to it (for now) by NETeller's market share. I do not believe NETeller will hold market share if they continue with those types of promotions which effectively pay players to transact in ways that tax the casinos and poker rooms - not just because it's unethical imo, but because doing so creates all sorts of problems for users like myself who aren't even interested in abusing the promotion as NETeller is trying to induce me to do. Examples would include:
- Low Cashout Limits
- Delayed Cashout Time
- Passing on Transaction Fees to Affiliates and Players via Deductions
- etc

Their first ever one of these promotions was the last straw for me and NETeller. I just knew it would create a whole world of problems (as these kinds of things always do) and I was then heavily inconvenienced by a flood of new rules poker rooms were rushing in to protect themselves against the inevitable abuse NETeller was inducing from players by paying them to transact.

 

[vinylweatherman]

Ah ok - I was a staunch NETeller Man until they went crazy post-UIGEA and started developing a culture of terrible rude, arrogant CS - I'm not sure if I can find the hilarious transcripts (well not so funny, really - hilarious if you're not the victim) posted in 07 as that forum effectively was rebuilt and I think most old posts were deleted - but it was some really messed up stuff, and I had similar conversations with them to those transcripts.

Just with the phone charge issue - you don't use Skype at all? I'm almost certain I can call my VIP Manager at MB free on Skype. If there is a charge, it will be something negligible like a few cents a minute. But pretty sure to all US phones, it's free (?) - I dunno, I loaded my Skype with $20 a year ago and haven't reloaded since and use it often for international calls.

-----

Yes to the NETeller promotions - they are absolutely shocking because they encourage poker players to use a free (for the player) service which charges massive fees at merchant end. I know this has infuriated some merchants (obv) but they're held hostage to it (for now) by NETeller's market share. I do not believe NETeller will hold market share if they continue with those types of promotions which effectively pay players to transact in ways that tax the casinos and poker rooms - not just because it's unethical imo, but because doing so creates all sorts of problems for users like myself who aren't even interested in abusing the promotion as NETeller is trying to induce me to do. Examples would include:
- Low Cashout Limits
- Delayed Cashout Time
- Passing on Transaction Fees to Affiliates and Players via Deductions
- etc

Their first ever one of these promotions was the last straw for me and NETeller. I just knew it would create a whole world of problems (as these kinds of things always do) and I was then heavily inconvenienced by a flood of new rules poker rooms were rushing in to protect themselves against the inevitable abuse NETeller was inducing from players by paying them to transact.

As a casino player, I did suspect that merchants would suffer because Neteller were trying to encourage volume. The 0.5% Neteller gives back to us MUST be less than the fee to the merchant. I did wonder just WHY merchants just sat back and accepted it, but I now see that Neteller have started listing "excluded merchants", and the last time they ran this promo, the list was LONGER than the time before.
Neteller are STILL running promos like this, currently it is an entry into a draw for every $100 deposited into your Neteller account, and for every $1000 worth deposited to merchants. Something like this runs nearly all the time.
Naturally, now that there is an exclusion list, merchants can protect themselves by becoming excluded. If enough merchants do this, Neteller will be scuppered through customers not being able to realistically produce the required volume of transactions, so they won't bother.

Merchants need to EXPLAIN the problem though, otherwise players will think the rules are designed to screw them, rather than discourage Neteller transaction volume.

Rushmore recently announced a ban on bonuses for both Neteller and Moneybookers users. It crossed my mind that it MIGHT be related to this kind of promotion, but Rushmore REFUSE to say WHY they made this move, so players think it a slight against THEM, which may NOT be the case.

 

[JHV]

Yep it's easy to see how merchants get caught in a super tricky spot in the middle and, of course, it's almost always the player group who gets screwed.

Basically I believe NETeller (foolishly imo, but who knows) decided to really ramp up their advantage from holding such a huge % of market share in a very uncompetitive, almost monopolised (now starting to be more duopolised) market. Perhaps they had to raise x funds fast for the DoJ fines or yea, it's not important.

But um, yes the fees are a lot higher than what they're giving to players. I have no idea about the recent fees as I'm not a merchant and working it out from my poker players' deductions is doable but not so valuable as the fees differ from merchant to merchant...but as high as 6% or even higher (?) for some merchants. It's pretty brutal stuff.

And if merchants are starting to exclude Moneybookers, then pretty safe to say that they're following NETeller's path...surely? I can't think of any other reason to exclude the 2nd largest gaming payment processor in the world - god, I just hope they haven't effectively agreed to control the fees OPEC-style rather than work in competition. That would really suck.

 

[vinylweatherman]

Yep it's easy to see how merchants get caught in a super tricky spot in the middle and, of course, it's almost always the player group who gets screwed.

Basically I believe NETeller (foolishly imo, but who knows) decided to really ramp up their advantage from holding such a huge % of market share in a very uncompetitive, almost monopolised (now starting to be more duopolised) market. Perhaps they had to raise x funds fast for the DoJ fines or yea, it's not important.

But um, yes the fees are a lot higher than what they're giving to players. I have no idea about the recent fees as I'm not a merchant and working it out from my poker players' deductions is doable but not so valuable as the fees differ from merchant to merchant...but as high as 6% or even higher (?) for some merchants. It's pretty brutal stuff.

And if merchants are starting to exclude Moneybookers, then pretty safe to say that they're following NETeller's path...surely? I can't think of any other reason to exclude the 2nd largest gaming payment processor in the world - god, I just hope they haven't effectively agreed to control the fees OPEC-style rather than work in competition. That would really suck.

6% is even higher than CREDIT CARDS! I thought credit cards were excluded from those regular "deposit method bonuses" because of the higher fees. Small merchants probably get charged the highest fees, just as with credit cards. Do you know if Neteller rebates the fees if the merchant refunds the deposit back - this seems to be the model with credit cards, and the driving force behind casinos deciding to return any amount up to the total of deposits back to a VISA card before allowing other payment methods to be used.

There was a potential competitor, Ivobank, but this didn't seem to get off the ground, despite being a FULLY regulated BANK, rather than an ewallet. The difference meant that the first 50,000 of players' funds at Ivobank would have been covered by the Financial Compensation Scheme. The position at Neteller seems to be that only the equivalent of 1000 is covered in the event that Neteller goes bust, and this is NOT by the Financial Compensation Scheme.

The problem for Ivobank was that it was no use whilst so few merchants accepted it as a deposit/withdrawal method.

 

[JHV]

6% is even higher than CREDIT CARDS! I thought credit cards were excluded from those regular "deposit method bonuses" because of the higher fees. Small merchants probably get charged the highest fees, just as with credit cards. Do you know if Neteller rebates the fees if the merchant refunds the deposit back - this seems to be the model with credit cards, and the driving force behind casinos deciding to return any amount up to the total of deposits back to a VISA card before allowing other payment methods to be used.

There was a potential competitor, Ivobank, but this didn't seem to get off the ground, despite being a FULLY regulated BANK, rather than an ewallet. The difference meant that the first 50,000 of players' funds at Ivobank would have been covered by the Financial Compensation Scheme. The position at Neteller seems to be that only the equivalent of 1000 is covered in the event that Neteller goes bust, and this is NOT by the Financial Compensation Scheme.

The problem for Ivobank was that it was no use whilst so few merchants accepted it as a deposit/withdrawal method.

I think IvoBank's failure to really get off the ground ran deeper than simply NETeller's dominant position in the market, but I'm merely stating that from some stuff I heard/read/was told awhile back. It's a pity obv but if you're a slick operation charging substantially less, you'll find market share with merchants and you'll find it fast! Once you have that, players follow in their droves. I think the current financial climate as well as ongoing regulatory uncertainty in Europe / US and other markets (everywhere really lol) is what's keeping competitors to the big 2 from popping up - and it would suck if they've decided to really press home their full-court advantage by ramping up fees to ridiculous levels. Maybe that's just perfect business - I'm finding it harder to distinguish between perfect brutal business strategy and ethical / responsible operations more and more these days.

Not sure on the rebate issue - wish an operator would jump in cause it's really interesting stuff imo. But they're usually loathe to discuss stuff like this publicly, I'm not really sure why but I'm sure the reasons are valid. If I was guessing, I think I'd say yes because I notice some withdrawals come in batches - say I deposit 500 and win 5000 and w/d, I often see 500 and 4500 payments back to MB. But that could be an accounting thing also? I just don't know.

 

[vinylweatherman]

I think IvoBank's failure to really get off the ground ran deeper than simply NETeller's dominant position in the market, but I'm merely stating that from some stuff I heard/read/was told awhile back. It's a pity obv but if you're a slick operation charging substantially less, you'll find market share with merchants and you'll find it fast! Once you have that, players follow in their droves. I think the current financial climate as well as ongoing regulatory uncertainty in Europe / US and other markets (everywhere really lol) is what's keeping competitors to the big 2 from popping up - and it would suck if they've decided to really press home their full-court advantage by ramping up fees to ridiculous levels. Maybe that's just perfect business - I'm finding it harder to distinguish between perfect brutal business strategy and ethical / responsible operations more and more these days.

Not sure on the rebate issue - wish an operator would jump in cause it's really interesting stuff imo. But they're usually loathe to discuss stuff like this publicly, I'm not really sure why but I'm sure the reasons are valid. If I was guessing, I think I'd say yes because I notice some withdrawals come in batches - say I deposit 500 and win 5000 and w/d, I often see 500 and 4500 payments back to MB. But that could be an accounting thing also? I just don't know.

I have noticed this batching, and it is still shown in statements from the casino, but no longer on my credit card statement or Neteller statement. Maybe this is to hide from us what is going on.

I have noticed some serious reluctance to accept Neteller & Moneybookers at quite a few casinos, some of this goes way back to before UIGEA, Reef Club, for instance. Rushmore have also joined in by banning these methods from the weekend bonuses, but not the midweek ones. Other casinos on the other hand, give you EXTRA just for using Neteller, Moneybookers, and Click2Pay, often between 10% and 15%

If casinos start banning Neteller and Moneybookers users from PROMOTIONS, then players WILL start to drift away from these wallets, and towards a competitor. Casinos though, have to ensure that they ACCEPT any competitors as a method of deposit and withdrawal, or these players will move to a different CASINO as well.

 

[justpistoff]

Moneybookers is a fraud and Illegal

I have recently been locked out of my acct. with Moneybookers with the same consistencies as others here. They continue not to respond to my emails and there phone number is always busy. Last month I wired into my Moneybookers acct. a large amount of money to be used for gambling purposes only. After trying to access my acct. here in the USA everything started going wrong. As of today my money has been taken out of my acct. and not one person answers my question as to why and where is my money. This is Illegal and unethical. It has been 1 1/2 months since I wired my money into my acct. and I have been unable to access my funds and now my funds are gone. Below is the email I sent to Moneybookers!

I have been trying to get my money unlocked from my acct. for one month. Now for some reason you have taken my hard earned money out of my acct. Where is my money? I have been trying to get my money wired back into my bank in the USA. It is $3500 US and now you have stolen my money and you tell me nothing. This is my money not yours that makes you a thief and punishable by jail. Where is my money????? Instead of unlocking my acct. and giving me access to transfer it to my bank you have taken it out of my acct. and not even told me about it. That is criminal. Where is my money??????????

 

[vinylweatherman]

I have recently been locked out of my acct. with Moneybookers with the same consistencies as others here. They continue not to respond to my emails and there phone number is always busy. Last month I wired into my Moneybookers acct. a large amount of money to be used for gambling purposes only. After trying to access my acct. here in the USA everything started going wrong. As of today my money has been taken out of my acct. and not one person answers my question as to why and where is my money. This is Illegal and unethical. It has been 1 1/2 months since I wired my money into my acct. and I have been unable to access my funds and now my funds are gone. Below is the email I sent to Moneybookers!

I have been trying to get my money unlocked from my acct. for one month. Now for some reason you have taken my hard earned money out of my acct. Where is my money? I have been trying to get my money wired back into my bank in the USA. It is $3500 US and now you have stolen my money and you tell me nothing. This is my money not yours that makes you a thief and punishable by jail. Where is my money????? Instead of unlocking my acct. and giving me access to transfer it to my bank you have taken it out of my acct. and not even told me about it. That is criminal. Where is my money??????????

Moneybookers will NEVER allow you to use their services for gambling because you are in the USA. The ONLY thing you can pursue is the return of your money. Since Moneybookers have decided not to respond, maybe now is the time to take it up with your bank. Tell them the money was wired to Moneybookers (no need to say why), and it has simply vanished into the electronic ether, and that you have been unable to get any reply from Moneybookers in over a month.

You could even threaten court action for the recovery of the money, as there would be no doubt it was legitimately yours (bank records would prove this).

 

[AussieDave]

A week or so ago I received notification that someone had attempted to access my Moneybookers account. Failed login attempts.

I immediately contacted Moneybookers and requested my account to be locked. Not that anyone could draw anything from that account as it's both empty and is only connected to a bank account that is filled as need be.

Still it's a worrying issue.

My point, I didn't hear back from Moneybookers for 3 days; totally unacceptable under the circumstances.

The account is now locked and will stay locked. It seems UK citizens have recourse with Moneybookers. However IMO people in other Countries have jack hope with Moneybookers if things go pear shaped.


Cheers



Dave

 

[justpistoff]

Moneybookers will NEVER allow you to use their services for gambling because you are in the USA. The ONLY thing you can pursue is the return of your money. Since Moneybookers have decided not to respond, maybe now is the time to take it up with your bank. Tell them the money was wired to Moneybookers (no need to say why), and it has simply vanished into the electronic ether, and that you have been unable to get any reply from Moneybookers in over a month.

Yes I found out they did not allow that so I simply asked them to wire my money back into my bank acct. I sent it from. Up date since I last posted: Moneybooker has finally contacted me after weeks of no response. They say they are sending my money back to me and because I requested they close my acct. they give me all these excuses why they have not answered my complaint weeks ago. They said to me they need to respond to any complaint filed on their website within 4 days. That is a lie! I have been denied my money for almost 5 weeks. I have filed many complaints including at Complaintsboard.com., the FSA, Casinomeister, started my own blog, Ombudsman, and Link Removed ( Old/Invalid) . I am just amazed that this can happen no matter what country you are from. They did not even contact me to try and solve my problem which tells me they do not care about the customer. They say I must wait an additional 10 days to receive my money because I did not tell them where to send my money even though they have all my info from where my money was originally sent from. Beware people of Moneybookers, I will post more after I hopefully receive my money!

 

[greek39]

Please can I just let this one pass without providing 200 words? Okay thanks! Moneybookers in my fairest opinion is very unorganized and untrustworthy. They always have been for me anyway. I closed my account and told them to keep the balance. Response email time well over a week, requesting weird information, could not convert Euros into Can dollars, and I believe they sent me some spam email.

Moneybookers was just plain creepy I ended up closing my bank account as well.

 

[vinylweatherman]

Yes I found out they did not allow that so I simply asked them to wire my money back into my bank acct. I sent it from. Up date since I last posted: Moneybooker has finally contacted me after weeks of no response. They say they are sending my money back to me and because I requested they close my acct. they give me all these excuses why they have not answered my complaint weeks ago. They said to me they need to respond to any complaint filed on their website within 4 days. That is a lie! I have been denied my money for almost 5 weeks. I have filed many complaints including at Complaintsboard.com., the FSA, Casinomeister, started my own blog, Ombudsman, and Link Removed ( Old/Invalid) . I am just amazed that this can happen no matter what country you are from. They did not even contact me to try and solve my problem which tells me they do not care about the customer. They say I must wait an additional 10 days to receive my money because I did not tell them where to send my money even though they have all my info from where my money was originally sent from. Beware people of Moneybookers, I will post more after I hopefully receive my money!

This could be a tactic to use when Moneybookers has your money, won't communicate, and/or gives you the run around. A request for account closure means they have to "balance the books", and get your money back to you before they can take your account off the system. If you have reached the stage where you are not going to trust them anymore even if they do resolve the issue, this would at least extract your balance.

It's worrying that a UK based company only has to behave towards UK customers (and probably EU ones as well), but can do what it likes to it's international customers because they don't have the same access to the regulator. They seem to be exploiting a loophole, only doing what they HAVE to do, rather than what they SHOULD be doing.

 

[hrv4mar]

Can we receive founds from friends or other MB members while our account is locked for outgoing transactions and waiting for sending ID scan and utility bill?
Any experience?

Thank you.

 

[breakstone]

Neteller leaves Moneybooker for dead. Moneybokers are the worst for processing financial transactions I have ever seen. You can't withdraw your money. Only by bank transfer and I am still waiting after 7 days. Neteller is done and paid in 2 days, or instantly with the debit card.

I am lodging a complaint with the financial regulator about the slowness and unhelpful responses you get. You cant even contact them by email, you have to go to log into your account just to send an email. Does that tell you anything. Too many complaints

Not for my anymore