Prepaid Debit Card Reviews, Complaints, Etc

Author: Chris Warren

Pew: Best Prepaid Cards More Affordable Than Checking Accounts

It’s a classic good news, bad news scenario. According to research issued last week by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the best prepaid cards available on the market are often a more affordable option than basic checking accounts. Still, while prepaid cardholders are generally in a far better position than they were when Pew’s last survey of prepaid cards was released two years ago, the organization’s researchers have no lack of recommendations about how various rules and regulations could improve things for consumers.

The report, titled “Consumers Continue to Load Up on Prepaid Cards,” examined the disclosures and fee structures of 66 prepaid cards. In general, Pew found that as the market for prepaid cards has expanded – U.S. consumers loaded $64 billion onto prepaid debit cards in 2012, more than double the amount loaded in 2009 – it has also matured in a way that is beneficial to consumers. “More consumers are turning to prepaid cards as a convenient tool to control spending and fees,” says Susan Weinstock, who directs Pew’s safe checking research.

In large part, that improvement is due to the fact that prepaid cardholders are now an attractive market for large financial institutions. Indeed, the 10 largest prepaid cards are now offered by banks compared to zero in 2012. As a result, the report finds the best prepaid cards are now often lower cost than checking accounts offered by large financial institutions.

Other improvements for prepaid cardholders noted by the study’s authors include much better disclosure. For instance, nearly all of the cardholder agreements examined by Pew included language explicitly stating that customer funds would be covered by Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insurance. Even when FDIC insurance was not included, some cardholder agreements explicitly said so. Another move in the right direction, according to Pew, is that prepaid cardholder agreements now increasingly include arbitration agreements that allow customers to settle disputes with prepaid card issuers via a private third party decision maker.

But not everything is rosy for prepaid cardholders. Among the report’s other findings is that prepaid cards do not offer consumers the same limited liability projection that federal law mandates for checking accounts. Pew also has a laundry list of recommendations to improve prepaid cards, including the elimination of overdraft protection, protection from liability for unauthorized charges and federal insurance for fund losses due to the failure of a financial institution.

“While prepaid cards offer many benefits to consumers, they are a relatively new product with little oversight,” says Weinstock. “A lack of protections undermines prepaid cards as a safe and easy way to manage money.”

February 12, 2014
Target Data Breach Spawns Consumer Advisory

The now infamous Target data breach continues to have ripple effects. On January 27^th, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a consumer advisory with tips on what to do if someone suspects they are a victim of what seems to be multiplying payment card data breaches.

There’s no doubt that the Target data breach spawned this consumer advisory from the federal agency charged with protecting Americans from financially related fraud and abuse. In explaining why the consumer advisory was issued, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau head, Richard Courdray, noted that payment cards include information that can be misused by criminals. “Consumer financial products often involve significant amounts of consumer data,” he says. “In light of recent data breaches, we want to be sure that consumers know how to protect themselves and where to turn if they do suspect fraud.”

According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s advisory, there are a number of steps people can take to protect their accounts in case of a payment card data breach. As a start, it helps to stay current with the news. In the wake of the Target data breach that spawned this particular consumer advisory, other potential payment card data breaches have come to light at retailers like Michaels Stores and Neiman Marcus. Knowing that you are a potential victim of a payment card data breach alerts you to the need to keep a close eye on your accounts. If there are any suspicious charges, the consumer advisory suggests reporting it immediately to your bank or card provider.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau advises taking advantage of online or mobile account monitoring in order to catch any suspicious transactions quickly. “The sooner you tell your provider about any unauthorized debits or charges, the better,” says the consumer advisory. The advisory also urges consumers interested in protecting their accounts to keep an eye on transactions for months after any potential data breach. Unauthorized charges may not begin showing up for a long time. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also says to report any suspicious charges, even when the amount charged is very small. Sometimes criminals test an account to see if a small charge will go through before making larger purchases.

If you do notice a charge you didn’t make, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau suggests different responses depending on the type of card. For credit and debit cards, the advice is simple: cancel the card and, for a debit card, consider changing your PIN when you get a replacement. For prepaid debit cards, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says it’s best to check with the card provider about the best way to dispute charges. “Your rights vary depending on the type of card,” says the consumer advisory.

The consumer advisory also urges anyone who notices a fraudulent transaction to immediately call the card provider’s toll-free customer service number rather than waiting to submit something in writing. Once you do actually write a letter detailing the facts of your case, be sure to keep a copy of the correspondence for your records.

Finally, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says to report any problems with how your card provider responds to your concerns. “Card providers should investigate the charges and respond quickly – generally within 10 business days of receiving an error notice for debit card disputes or within two billing cycles for credit card disputes,” says the consumer advisory. “You have a right to know the results of the investigation.” Problems with a card provider’s response can be submitted at www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint.

January 31, 2014
Potential Security Breach at Michaels Stores

As if fierce competition to capture the loyalty and dollars of America’s consumers wasn’t enough of a challenge, it now seems that big retailers also face an ongoing threat from cyber criminals. On January 25^th, Michaels Stores, Inc., the Irving, Texas-based arts and crafts chain announced that it was investigating the possibility that it had experienced a data security attack.

In a statement, the company said that it was working with federal law enforcement officials and third-party data security professionals to determine whether an attack had occurred and, if it had, to what extent customer payment information was compromised. “We are concerned there may have been a data security attack on Michaels that may have affected our customers’ payment card information and we are taking aggressive action to determine the nature and scope of the issue,” said Chuck Rubin, CEO of Michaels. “While we have not confirmed a compromise to our systems, we believe it is in the best interest of our customers to alert them to this potential issue so they can take steps to protect themselves, for example, by reviewing their payment card account statements for unauthorized charges.”

While not speculating on the possible extent of the data theft, Michaels said it would provide updates on its website as investigations continue. If a cyber attack on Michaels is confirmed, it will be just the latest in a string of high profile data thefts directed at national retailers. Late last year, Target had a security breach and revealed that the names, mailing addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of as many as 110 million of its customers had been obtained by criminals during the height of the holiday shopping season.

Earlier this year Neiman Marcus also confirmed that as many as one million of its customers may have had their card payment information stolen. According to an article in The New York Times, the attacks on both Neiman Marcus and Target involved the installation of malware on the companies’ computer systems, which then fed card information to servers controlled by the criminals. The Times also reported that the attacks on Target, Neiman Marcus and, if it is confirmed, Michaels, are believed to be the work of the same group of Eastern European criminals. The paper reported that the attacks might be part of a larger effort that could involve as many as six other retail companies.

January 30, 2014
Banks Sponsor Prepaid Debit Cards

The recent announcement about wireless carrier T-Mobile’s new prepaid debit card has highlighted the popularity of this still relatively new financial product among banks. According to a recent article in The Washington Post, banks are increasingly excited about the prospect of teaming up with retailers like T-Mobile to offer prepaid debit cards.

The reason? Money, of course. “The cards are attractive because they are exempt from an amendment in Dodd-Frank that restricts the amount banks can earn from debit and credit card fees,” writes Post reporter, Danielle Douglas. It’s also a matter of simple popularity. Indeed, according to data compiled by the trade journal Nilson Report consumers made nearly 3 billion prepaid Visa and MasterCard transactions totaling almost $100 billion in 2012, a spike of 19 percent from the year before. With numbers like these, readers may continue to see more headlines like “Banks Sponsor Prepaid Debit Cards” over the next few years.

But there’s also a symbiosis at work here. As Douglas explains in her article, prepaid cards issued by the likes of T-Mobile are only possible when they have a bank to handle card transactions and hold deposits – which they’re more than happy to do for a cut of the fee income. In the case of T-Mobile, Bancorp Bank is the sponsor of the wireless carrier’s new Visa prepaid debit card. In fact, Nilson Report estimates that Bancorp sponsors 25 percent of all prepaid cards.

Still, as attractive as it may be, not all banks are cut out to do it. Banks have to be sophisticated enough to handle millions of transactions and well equipped to respond to government regulation. “There’s great demand for bank sponsors,” Karen Garrett of Stinson Leonard Street told The Washington Post. “But it’s not something to be done without an enormous investment into the infrastructure to manage the whole thing.”

Nevertheless, it’s likely that more revenue-seeking banks will pursue sponsorship of prepaid debit cards in the future. A growth industry like prepaid debit cards is just too enticing to skip. “Payment transactions have been an area that banks have identified as a potential revenue stream,” Bankrate.com analyst Greg McBride told the Post. “They understand the risks.”

January 27, 2014
New FBI Prepaid Card Scam – Alert By Better Business Bureau

Criminals have certainly been hard at work lately. As anybody who has picked up a newspaper or logged onto the Internet recently knows, retail giant Target and tens of millions of its customers were the victims of a holiday season heist of payment and other personal information. And on January 17^th, the Better Business Bureau issued an alert about a new FBI prepaid card scam.

According to the announcement from the Council of Better Business Bureaus (BBB), this most recent thievery attempt involves a phone call from someone claiming to be an agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). The caller impersonating an FBI agent follows a familiar script, according to the BBB. “You answer the phone. The caller ID says “Federal Investigations,” and the person on the other line claims to be an FBI agent. He or she says the FBI is monitoring your online activity, and they know you have an overdue payday loan.”

From there, the BBB says a caller will demand that whoever answered the phone pay the alleged debt off instantly via a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. If someone fails to do so, the supposed FBI agent will threaten legal action and jail, an especially unnerving threat because the caller often has personal information such as a social security number, address and place of work.

No matter how persuasive someone may sound on the phone, the BBB says to never agree to pay anything. “Despite the threats, these “FBI agents” don’t have power over you,” reads the BBB’s alert. “Don’t give in and pay money you don’t owe; it’s likely scammers will just be back for more.”

To help consumers avoid becoming victim to these scams, the BBB suggests taking the following steps. First, hang up and don’t call the number back. “It is temping to get the last word, but you may end up giving scammers information they can use later.” After hanging up the phone, the BBB suggests contacting the local police department to report the impersonation of a law enforcement officer.

Additionally, the BBB points out that caller ID spoofing is easy so don’t be fooled by what appears to be a legitimate institution. If you do stay on the line with the caller, ask him or her for an official validation notice of the debt. “Debt collectors are required by law to provide the information in writing. The notice must include the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor and a statement of your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act,” reads the statement. “If the self-proclaimed collector won’t provide the information, hang up.”

January 23, 2014
Target’s Woes Continue

Target’s troubles continue to mount, as the retailer’s own investigation into last year’s security breach has revealed that it was worse than originally believed. According to Target’s own statement on January 10, more than just credit and debit card information was swiped from shoppers who visited the company’s stores from late November to mid-December.

“At this time, the investigation has determined that the stolen information includes names, mailing addresses, phone numbers or email addresses for up to 70 million individuals,” reads the statement from Target. In other words, not only was the original estimate of 40 million as the number of people impacted by the heist off by about 75 percent, the type of information stolen was more expansive than originally believed.

Not surprisingly, the company’s holiday sales look to have been hurt by the furor over the theft of such a huge amount of customer data, which was first revealed on December 19. According to Target’s outlook, fourth quarter sales are expected to be down about 2.5 percent from the previous year and the company’s profit forecast has also been revised downward. In response to this latest revelation about the data theft, Target is both expressing remorse and offering some concrete assistance to customers.

“I know that it is frustrating for our guests to learn that this information was taken and we are truly sorry they are having to endure this,” says Gregg Steinhafel, Target’s chairman, president and CEO. Besides words, Target is also assuring that guests will not have any liability for any fraudulent charges made as a result of the security breach. Additionally, Target is offering free credit monitoring for a year to any impacted shopper.

While Target is scrambling to undo any lasting damage done by this high profile data thievery, there is evidence that the company still has plenty of work to do. Just three days after Target released its latest update on its security troubles, the research firm YouGov released its latest BrandIndex, which ranks companies according to consumer sentiment.

According to an article at CBS News’ Moneywatch website, Target has lost its longstanding ranking among the top ten brands. Based on thousands of interviews, YouGov’s BrandIndex now puts Target at number 21, a precipitous drop. “The fact that Target not only fell out of the top ten but out of the top 20 is a big deal, especially since the incident only happened in December,” Lance Fraenkel, head of BrandIndex, told Moneywatch. “This kind of drop isn’t something that happens often.”

Still, Fraenkel didn’t have exclusively bad news for Target. He lauded the company’s efforts to be transparent about the data breach and urged them to continue to communicate with customers. “Strong brands can weather storms,” he said.

January 17, 2014