is this scam? instantvirtualcreditcards.com

can someone tell me is this scam? i need some prepaid credit card to buy hosting, facebook voucher and some online game gold.

http://www.instantvirtualcreditcards.com/

I'm not sure I'd call it a scam, but I would say "High risk". If you look at the Terms of Service (TOS) :

WARRANTIES, LIABILITIES AND DISCLAIMERS

* www.instantvirtualcreditcards.com is not held responsible for any prepaid virtual cards that have been compromised or stolen. Any losses or damages will not be the liability of www.instantvirtualcreditcards.com

* any fraud, deception or misrepresentations by the User, merchant or some unknown entity or person.
* any errors or omissions in the website content.
* the misuse of the web site content or the inability of any person to use the site.

www.instantvirtualcreditcards.com service is limited to providing the User with a payment facility and does not guarantee the quality, safety or legality of the transaction the User is undertaking. www.instantvirtualcreditcards.com will not be liable for any goods or services for which the User pays using this service and will not be liable for any charges, taxes or other duties in relation to such goods or services.

and from their own FAQ's : - My virtual visa card got declined so I would like to get a refund. Is it possible?
- Absolutely! We'll refund 95% of the amount on your virtual visa card within a week of your purchase if for some reason your transaction gets declined. We will also refund you if you didn't use the card and no longer need it.

It sounds to me like the only thing they guarantee is that they will take your money. They offer no guarantees for anything else like regular credit card companies do..

I wouldn't call it a scam, because they tell you upfront they are only willing to take your money, with no other guarantees. But in my book, that does not make them a good choice for a prepaid card. There are plenty of real card issuers out there that do have guarantees on their cards / purchases.

Looking at the site, I find no information about who they are or where they are. I also find them offering shady services:

Virtual Bank Accounts for US PayPal Verification

As you should know, in order to completely verify US PayPal account, you should link it with a US bank account. We offer a great solution! Virtual Bank Account (VBA) for instant US PayPal account verification. Simply enter it into your USA PayPal account and have it verified in a few minutes! Plese note that you cannot withdraw money to a Virtual Bank Account.

You will be provided with the following details once we receive the payment:

Name of the Bank
Bank Routing Number
Type of Account
Account Number
Username/Password for Instant Verification

US PayPal VBA: GMAC Bank -- $25 (Please contact support for purchasing or more info) - IN STOCK!!!

Please visit Virtual Bank Account FAQs for more information. Thank you.

NEW PRODUCTS AVAILABLE:

Ready US verified PayPal account 3 months old -- $35 (please contact support to order) - IN STOCK!!!

Here is a webpage from Bank of America, offering virtual card numbers for free.

https://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/a ... hopsafe.go

Here is a webpage from Bank of America, offering virtual card numbers for free.

https://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/a ... hopsafe.go

thanks a lot, but unfortunately im outside usa

Very interesting and I'll look at it in more depth later but it seems that there is a divergence in what the OP expects a virtual credit card to do and what Bank of America offer.

Fraudsters love to take advantage of new and/or novel payment systems to perform scams, but the Bank of America offer appears to be simply a security means to hide/protect your real card details. You're still using your card but merely using the virtual card number to hide the details of your card so that third parties can't make use of it. It shouldn't be necessary but there have been so many instances worldwide of criminals penetrating the computers of online retailers that it could be quite a good idea.

The only thing I have to add is that, if you do this, you HAVE to be absolutely certain that the party from whom you get the virtual card number is impeccable, otherwise you could be giving your details straight to a scammer. Obviously Bank of America's credentials are impeccable in this respect.

I must emphasise that, from my quick look, it is merely an extra layer of protection to an existing card and nothing more, but its a useful offer. I also note this.

ShopSafe protection is available only on Bank of America Visa® and MasterCard® accounts for customers who use our Online Banking service and is not currently available on Bank of America American Express accounts

If you make a similar arrangement with an unknown organisation you could just be giving access to your card to a stranger.

I must admit that I had my doubts as to whether or not such a thing as a 'virtual pre-paid card' existed, but apparently it does. It just goes to show that there are always new things to learn. Personally I'm a little psychotic about card security and so I don't rush in to using any new payment systems.

You have to watch out for the terminology as 'pre-paid cards' and 'virtual cards' are not the same thing, but you can get one that is both 'virtual' and 'pre-paid'. A 'virtual card' is a means of making card payments without your primary card details being passed to the retailer to keep your card secure (which would be best if it is a service provided by your bank) or, in the case of a 'pre-paid virtual card', you make payments in to an account, usually not your bank, and then make virtual payments online off that account with each payment using a different card number.

i won't go in to any more detail otherwise it'll probably just confuse matters. A company I found providing 'virtual pre-paid cards' looks quite regular but i do note a lot of online complaints. That in itself may not reflect badly on the company as they have legal responsibilities to protect all parties from fraud, and to report suspicious transactions, and I have seen these referred to by users as 'stealth cards' which might suggest that scammers may have found a criminal use for these accounts. If they operate strict security I won't criticise them for that but this does seem to generate problems and delays. I also can't see how anyone could perform a 'chargeback' in respect of faulty goods or goods not supplied.

If the concern is solely to keep your card details secure then the 'virtual card' is possibly the way to go through your own bank, but I don't think many banks offer the service and it may be relatively expensive.

I can't cover every risk/benefit and different companies and banks will different terms and conditions - and risk too. Each one must be judged on its own merits.

Considering this post is old, it is still occurring.

Those thiefs stole over $300 for cards that I have never received. I needed them to verifiy the PayPals I had, but have not heard any word from them for over a month.

Currently fighting to get my money back and to get this thief shut down.

^^^ This scam can happen on all forums.