I arrived home today with Netspend card in my Mailbox. The letter states that I ordered the card and it has arrived. So I am concerned because of the possible [intlink id=”2644″ type=”post”]Identity theft[/intlink] that could be going on so I call them to find out what the heck is going on. I call to find out it who signed me up for this and to get some kind of information as to the people who had this information about me. I ask for the financial service that “recommended me for this Card” because I want to make a phone call to them about the security concerns about sharing my personal information. I say that because they had my Name, my mailing address. This isn’t totally hard to find had I had a Land phone but with me just having a cell phone.
[ad]I ask for the IP of the person who signed me up and they said they don’t have that information and they have no information on who did it. This sounds like a poor way to offer pre-paid card that has a VISA logo. I think this is poor security and if someone signs me up and uses my identity what ever happened to logs? This is what is most concerning to me, because I would have expected if someone signs up they would at least keep the IP in case of some criminal activity to know if it was one IP that is making so many creation of cards. This is a fundamental principle in financial institutions that hold our money.
I did a Google search for others who had this happened and I see a bunch of people complaining about the same thing. Some of the more important topics were, Netspend Is A Fraud! and Unethical Pirates! I found some really concerning complaints from people around the US. All these are concerning, I told them to close out the account and I will be watching my credit for the next 6 months. I think this was unethical by both Netspend and the Financial service, due to the fact that I didn’t give the financial services permission to give out my information. I don’t know if Netspend had my SSN but I didn’t activate the card so I don’t know but I am very concerned by the way Netspend did not keep logs on who and when something like this was done. If I find out what financial service did this I will be contacting the FTC and BBB over this. I want to hear if anyone else has had this happened? I will advise everyone who has this happened to call immediately to close out the account and complain to appropriate people.
Like many financial institutions, NetSpend occasionally sends out marketing offers to potential customers who have had previous business with one of our many partners in the financial services industry. In order to enjoy the benefits of using the card, the recipient would first need to activate the card, load money onto the card, and validate his or her identity.
In obtaining mailing information for those selected to receive this no-obligation offer, NetSpend did not collect information such as social security number and date of birth. The company has complied with federal regulations governing these offers and takes security very seriously.
Due to the number of financial services businesses with which NetSpend partners, and due to NetSpend’s commitment to protect your privacy, NetSpend does not record which business referred you to receive this offer. This is to your benefit in that the company does not retain specific information about your financial transactions, including which of our partners it is with whom you had previous business.
We would welcome you as a customer. The NetSpend pre-paid debit card, once activated, performs much like a regular bank account without overdraft fees. Our valued customers receive free direct deposit services, Activity Alerts via cell phone text message to help them track their balance after each transaction, and free online funds transfers to other cardholders. Recipients of this offer who do not wish to participate may simply discard it with no risk to themselves.
Thank you for your feedback.
How is that going to benefit me?? Are you worried that we will start complaining to these companies and you'll loose referrers? This is more like it is a benefit to you and not the Consumer. You say you take Security Very seriously, this statement of telling everyone you really don't care about our privacy because if you did you'd record who referred people to Netspend.
I can do all these thing you talk about can be done with the Walmart Visa card. This is where we differ it should be a opt-in policy and not and opt-out policy. You claim your trying to protect our privacy but you've just proven to me you really don't because you don't record who refers you to me. If you really did care you'd be more willing to keep track of that stuff for those of us who want to complain to the financial institutions. Afterall that is my right as a consumer because I don't think this type of information should be sent without my approval.
I take my identity very serious and if you won't help to keep my identity there is no reason why I would want to be a customer of yours. I have read the Walmart Privacy policy and it states they will not give out any personal information without prior approval from card holder which is a big plus. Maybe it is time you change your policy and how you do business that is the only way you will get people to trust you. It is time you let the consumer the right to find out the company and complain but your to worried that you'd loose a company because of that right.
Thank you for your comment,
It however does not prove anything. I like the PR spin you put on this, probably had to have the PR firm do all the writing. I however am not impressed by this comment.
The exact same thing just happened to my husband. He did NOT apply for this card. I think this company is targeting people with Spanish last names since I did not get one of these cards and I have the same credit cards as my husband.
same thing happend to my 13 year old son!
Oh My, Shows you how irresponsible they are. They should be required
to track IPs but don't!!
Do you work for Netspend or Inter National Bank of Texas, staff101?
I just filed a complaint to the Federal Reserve via http://www.federalreserveconsumerhelp.gov/FormComplaint.cfm“ rel=”nofollow”>http://www.federalreserveconsumerhelp.gov/FormC… and 888-851-1920.
Your practice is not a regular marketing campaign. When I receive a marketing letter, I know that it is sales letter. I can decide if I want to accept it based on the merits or if I even have time to read it.
But yours is not. It provides a false pretense that this is something I requested. Many merchants are using pre-paid VISA card as a way to provide rebate payment. It is not unusual for me to receive a pre-paid VISA card from a unfamiliar source frequently. Worse yet, in the activation process, you ask for very private information like DoB and SSN. It is very unethical for you to steal information like that.
I think that this kind of practice should be outlawed because it can easily be exploited for more cynical purposes and identity theft. I hope that you will stop it and send an apology letter to all that you sent this offer to.
I have “banked” with Netspend for three years now. I actually have direct deposit set up with them because I have found that I get my money two days earlier than the pay date. As of yet I have not had a negative experience with the Netspend Visa Debit Card. As for the unsolicited card offer, this is what I know as a customer. When I first opened my account I was given the option to make a referral of other people I know in exchange for a $10 credit into my account, all that was needed was the persons name and address. This was done within my account. You refer a friend or family member and You receive $10 after they receive their card and activate it. When activating the card, the person calls a number and the representative verifies your information as required by the US Patriot Act, and in much of the same manner as opening a traditional bank account.
However, this being a pre-paid Visa card, you have to load the card with money at a service point which requires a fee, around $5. Direct Deposit is free and again if you want cash you get charged with the ATM fees ($2.50 from netspend and plus whatever banks ATM you are using)
Depending on what type of account, you may even be charged a fee per transaction.
The account I have is $10 a month and offers unlimited POS and PIN # transactions. However, I pretty much just use this card to cash out my paycheck.
If you do not have the money in your account, then yo cannot use it. There is no danger of overdrafting.
Netspend is accredited by the BBB and FDIC insured.
Why do I not use a traditional bank? I am what you called a member of the “underbanked” class. Lost my job, couldn't find another one, got behind in all of my bills, car got repossessed, overdrafted my account and did not have the money to clear it and it got sent to collections, unemployment checks were not enough to survive on. I could not open a traditional bank account at the time and Netspend was one of the better options. Now that I got my life together, I still use Netspend, only for the convenience of getting my money 2 days earlier than everybody else. I think it has something to do with the bank being on the East coast while I live on the West coast.
i am glad i stumbbled on this site. let me tell you what happened to me. i had an account with net spend with 2 accs. one was for my paycheck to pay bills and one was for social security money. i am ready to retire in aug. well i had my purse stolden at a walmart in san antonio, tx and i reported both cards stolen. in fact i asked three times because now they have wiped me out of my bill acc, and also my social securit money. i don;t know how they could have let that happn. i just had a bad scene with a person that was suppose to be higher up, named cassandra on 06/19/09. i am beside myself and told he that if money is not sent to me in a check they will hear from my lawyer and i will ask for much much more. we need to put the word out about net spend=======pauline robles,texas
I came home to find my “Net spend” card in the mail. I DID NOT APPLY FOR THIS CARD. I would have no reason to apply for a “prepaid” card. I attempted to phone the company to get information and could not get to a human being. The phone number leads you through an automated system and at no point are you able to talk to a person. I am very upset that a credit card has been issued in my name which I never requested. Needless to say, the card will be destroyed. If anyone finds out who to file a formal complaint to, I'm interested.
I came home to find my “Net spend” card in the mail. I DID NOT APPLY FOR THIS CARD. I would have no reason to apply for a “prepaid” card. I attempted to phone the company to get information and could not get to a human being. The phone number leads you through an automated system and at no point are you able to talk to a person. I am very upset that a credit card has been issued in my name which I never requested. Needless to say, the card will be destroyed. If anyone finds out who to file a formal complaint to, I'm interested.
Where you looking for a prepaid credit card? I have used them and they work pretty good, especially for paying for things online. I dont know about netspend though, especially the fact they sent you one without you even applying for a card; sounds kinda fishy to me.
i have used the rushcard, which sucks too, there is a lot of talk online about them. i would try the accountnow card. they are just as much as the netspend card but you can get a bunch of extra features for free that come with the card. i think the website is http://http:/www.accountnow.com“ rel=”nofollow”>http:/www.accountnow.com but you can google it if that is wrong.
same here…i got one too…these people just send out the card without the individual applying for it. I believe it is the biggest fraud company with a Visa logo. Trying to reach customer service for past half hour.
The same happened to me as well. I plan not to activate the card. The thing I am worried about is identity theft. If they can make such cards then somebody might be able to use the card in our name!
I too received this card in the mail from netSpend. It happened to be a coincidence that I recently received a letter in the mail from my bank stating that they were issuing all of their customer's a brand new debit card that will have the Visa logo on it instead of the MasterCard logo. Then I received this netSpend card that says: “You're new prepaid debit card has arrived!” with many other things in the letter that seemed so legitimate. But I, being a small-minded 18-year-old, didn't even think of the fact that this new debit card didn't have my current banks logo on it ANYWHERE and that it said “prepaid” on it! So I called and activated it, but when I went to go use it, I got declined. I was distraught. I didn't understand how I could've gotten declined when I had just transferred money from my savings to my checking’s to buy a few essential things. So I called the company, and they told me that there was no record of the 16-digit card number that I supplied them with. I called back several different times and still got the same response. Frantic, I went to my bank, in person, and they told me that this card had nothing to do with them and it must've been a coincidence that they sent this card to me in perfect timing (after they sent their notice out). They also mentioned that netSpend seems legitimate, but that I should definitely cut up the card and cancel my ‘account’. Unfortunately, this company has my information in their systems, and when I went to their website to cancel the account, it states that there is a fee of “$5.95” to cancel this card (which is absurd because I never asked for it in the first place!).
I too received this card in the mail from netSpend. It happened to be a coincidence that I recently received a letter in the mail from my bank stating that they were issuing all of their customer's a brand new debit card that will have the Visa logo on it instead of the MasterCard logo. Then I received this netSpend card that says: “You're new prepaid debit card has arrived!” with many other things in the letter that seemed so legitimate. But I, being a small-minded 18-year-old, didn't even think of the fact that this new debit card didn't have my current banks logo on it ANYWHERE and that it said “prepaid” on it! So I called and activated it, but when I went to go use it, I got declined. I was distraught. I didn't understand how I could've gotten declined when I had just transferred money from my savings to my checking’s to buy a few essential things. So I called the company, and they told me that there was no record of the 16-digit card number that I supplied them with. I called back several different times and still got the same response. Frantic, I went to my bank, in person, and they told me that this card had nothing to do with them and it must've been a coincidence that they sent this card to me in perfect timing (after they sent their notice out). They also mentioned that netSpend seems legitimate, but that I should definitely cut up the card and cancel my ‘account’. Unfortunately, this company has my information in their systems, and when I went to their website to cancel the account, it states that there is a fee of “$5.95” to cancel this card (which is absurd because I never asked for it in the first place!).
I too received this card in the mail from netSpend. It happened to be a coincidence that I recently received a letter in the mail from my bank stating that they were issuing all of their customer's a brand new debit card that will have the Visa logo on it instead of the MasterCard logo. Then I received this netSpend card that says: “You're new prepaid debit card has arrived!” with many other things in the letter that seemed so legitimate. But I, being a small-minded 18-year-old, didn't even think of the fact that this new debit card didn't have my current banks logo on it ANYWHERE and that it said “prepaid” on it! So I called and activated it, but when I went to go use it, I got declined. I was distraught. I didn't understand how I could've gotten declined when I had just transferred money from my savings to my checking’s to buy a few essential things. So I called the company, and they told me that there was no record of the 16-digit card number that I supplied them with. I called back several different times and still got the same response. Frantic, I went to my bank, in person, and they told me that this card had nothing to do with them and it must've been a coincidence that they sent this card to me in perfect timing (after they sent their notice out). They also mentioned that netSpend seems legitimate, but that I should definitely cut up the card and cancel my ‘account’. Unfortunately, this company has my information in their systems, and when I went to their website to cancel the account, it states that there is a fee of “$5.95” to cancel this card (which is absurd because I never asked for it in the first place!).
I just asked my dad about this situation and he told me about a website: http://bbb.com“ rel=”nofollow”>bbb.com. he told me to go on this website and check if netspend was a legitamate company; and apparently it is. check for yourself. but they're still extremely sketchy for sending out this cards like this!
yea i got one to…………………i say send me one for 5000 dollar ……
an old marketing plans for most of credit card banks. Just send it to you at home…
I woke up this morning to a text message saying:
'Your CARD has been DEACTIVATED. Please call 877-514-5983 to REACTIVATE your CARD.'
How the hell did they get my cell number?
My husband received a NetSpend PrePaid Debit “Mastercard” on 7/15/10 but to his mother’s address in another county that he hasn’t lived at in 10 years. I’m reading the replies here that are from 2009 & said they were using a “Visa logo” then. It looks like they are still at it but have wised up & changed the logo & this letter didn’t say he requested it & just states that “your new card has arrived.” Same scam different logo with a little better wording.
@Dee,
Sounds like they went from Vista to Mastercard and to many people have complained to Visa. I would expect Visa pulled contract from them due to many complaints. Which is good, if enough do http://www.mastercard.com/us/personal/en/contactus/merchantviolations.html“ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>complain to Mastercard then they will stop business all together. I don’t know if anyone will but I do think how they are sending out cards are quite Dubious and not even security wised company. So your best to complain to the card vendors and hopefully they will do something about it!!
My wife just got one too and after looking into it all I can say is cut it up, don’t call them, call the credit bureaus (experian, transunion etc…) and tell them you need to report possible fraud on your credit. This will give you protection in case they are sending other cards to old addresses which someone activates.
As a former banker I have seen scams get better and better and this one while set up as a legit business is a scam because:
1. Fees for using your card in normal fee free areas
2. Fees for checking your balance
3. Monthly fees
4. $1 Fee for transactions using a signature (credit card style)
5. $2 per PIN transaction
6. $2.50 to withdraw cash aside from the ATM fees at the ATM you use
The BBB endorsement only means that the BBB has become a whore for online cash extraction businesses.
You can go here to lodge a complaint at the BBB website. How they retain an A+ rating with this much frustration in the marketplace sure leads me to believe that ratings are available for a price. Also, with 3 Netspend entries in the BBB I assume that most people complain on one entry and the company references their rating from some other one?
The main company BBB entry is here:
http://www.bbb.org/central-texas/business-reviews/credit-cards-and-plans/netspend-corporation-in-austin-tx-53229
Secondary one here:
http://www.bbb.org/greater-san-francisco/business-reviews/banking-services/net-spendcom-in-san-ramon-ca-206593
Oh and you have to give out a large ampount of personal information to file a complaint with the BBB about a company like Netspend who uses ill-gotten and per their policy untracable personal information to solicit new victims er, customers.
My opinion is: run away from these types of businesses! And complain to the issuing card VISA or MC and the BBB by phone. 512.445.2911 or email info@austin.bbb.org
My husband received one of these unsolicited cards in the mail. When I tried to find out what it was, I discovered that you cannot get a person on the phone unless you accept their agreement (no agreement details come with this thing).
Since our credit reports are frozen to prevent identity theft, I suspect they are fishing for information rather than acting on information they have already gathered (other than name and address of course).
My advice – shred it upon receipt. This thing sounds like a major preditory scam.