Are those cards really anonymous? I mean if they are just no-name cards then the correct term to use is "non-personalized cards" not "anonymous cards". If they are anonymous cards then they are basically useless for online purchases, because majority of websites require name of the card holder to be provided too, which in case of anonymous cards, can't be provided because they are not registered to anyone?Zqq said:There are several providers of such cards (both companies and banks).
FBME in Cyprus, CIM Banque in Switzerland, and Heritage Bank International in Belize are just some examples of banks that issue re-loadable prepaid cards with no name.
You will get thousands of results if you just go to Google and start researching.
You can enter any name you want when using any card online. There is no way for a merchant to verify the name of the cardholder, other than to request scanned copies of the card. When it comes to anonymous cards, it is common to Prepaid Card as user.wakh said:Are those cards really anonymous? I mean if they are just no-name cards then the correct term to use is "non-personalized cards" not "anonymous cards". If they are anonymous cards then they are basically useless for online purchases, because majority of websites require name of the card holder to be provided too, which in case of anonymous cards, can't be provided because they are not registered to anyone?
Please correct me if I am wrong though.
Ok so if that's the case, then what name and address one should enter if using the anonymous card? Like what to do if you used an anonymous card for online transaction along with a random cardholder name and address and your merchant requests a scanned copy of the card to verify the cardholder's name?Zqq said:You can enter any name you want when using any card online. There is no way for a merchant to verify the name of the cardholder, other than to request scanned copies of the card. When it comes to anonymous cards, it is common to Prepaid Card as user.
That's up to you to decide.wakh said:Ok so if that's the case, then what name and address one should enter if using the anonymous card? Like what to do if you used an anonymous card for online transaction along with a random cardholder name and address and your merchant requests a scanned copy of the card to verify the cardholder's name?
There is a confusion here. Are these anonymous cards obtained without providing *ANY* identification details of the cardholder to the bank? In order words, do the banks have any information about the user of the card?Zqq said:That's up to you to decide.
No.wakh said:There is a confusion here. Are these anonymous cards obtained without providing *ANY* identification details of the cardholder to the bank?
The bank will know who you are.wakh said:In order words, do the banks have any information about the user of the card?
The merchant is not supposed to ask such questions. Unless the merchant has reason to suspect money laundering or is required for compliance reasons (for example gambling or financial services companies), they are not permitted by Visa and MasterCard regulation to require proof of identity along with a card purchase.wakh said:Based on the above, the previous question was that, since there is no name printed on the card and so a user enters some random cardholder name to make a purchase and later on when the merchant requests a scanned copy of the card, you provide it, which will be without the cardholder's name printed on it. In such case what can one say when merchant asks why is there no name printed on the card? Or is it that the merchant has no right to ask such questions when you are actually making a purchase from a legitimate card?
So basically an anonymous card is just like a regular card, i.e it is indeed registered to a particular person or company with the issuing bank. Only exception, and the one that makes it anonymous card is that just the cardholder's name is not printed on its front.Zqq said:No.
An exception is made for gift cards that cannot be reloaded. They can usually be purchased without providing proof of identity.
The bank will know who you are.
The merchant is not supposed to ask such questions. Unless the merchant has reason to suspect money laundering or is required for compliance reasons (for example gambling or financial services companies), they are not permitted by Visa and MasterCard regulation to require proof of identity along with a card purchase.
As an example, I was a while ago asked by a large webhosting provider to provide a copy of my card. I signed up with fake details and a VPN (anonymous IP). I sent them a copy of the prepaid card - nothing else, - which they accepted and I have been using them just fine since then.
And the cardholder's name is not in the magnetic stripe or EMV chip.wakh said:So basically an anonymous card is just like a regular card, i.e it is indeed registered to a particular person or company with the issuing bank. Only exception, and the one that makes it anonymous card is that just the cardholder's name is not printed on its front.