Youngsters able to get their hands on pre-pay cards : Credit Card Guide

Youngsters able to get their hands on pre-pay cards

According to a recent report many youngster in the UK are able to get their hands on pre-pay cards with relative ease, giving them the ability of purchase a range of adult products online without any problems.

These cards are available in many shops, but many retailers are failing to check the ages of those going in and purchasing a card. According to a recent report children aged just fourteen have been able to buy these pre-pay cards for as little as £3, giving them the facility they need to make inappropriate purchases online.

A recent report showed that many of the kids that were purchasing these cards, which can be loaded with cash with ease, were using them to make all sorts of purchases online including knives, alcohol, porn, and other inappropriate items and material. In one experiment a young boy aged fourteen, Zak, was sent to a retailer to buy a card and was not asked for ID even though he did not look eighteen. He managed to purchase a card and load it with £50.

After purchasing the card he told investigators: "It was unbelievable how easy it was. Kids at school buy these cards so they can order stuff off the internet. Once you have one, you can get away with just about anything."

The legal age limit for the purchase of these cards is 18, and officials state that retailers are going to have to start carrying out the necessary checks before selling the cards to those that look underage.

One official stated: "Children can access and buy the most disturbing things, from explicit DVDs to entry to gambling sites. When we approached the Nisa store where Zak bought a card, owner Kalpesh Patel admitted "I know it's illegal but I didn't think he was under 18. From now on we will ask everyone who wants one for ID."

Tom Smith
1st October 2007

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