Net shopping fears as 11-year-olds get Visa cards

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 30 Jun 2008 at 08:28

LLoyds TSB is issuing Visa debit cards to 11-year-olds, sparking fears that children will be shopping on the internet without their parents' knowledge.

Most bank cards issued to those under the age of 15 only allow children to make withdrawals from cash machines or branches of their bank.

However, the cards being issued by Lloyds TSB are Visa cards, allowing children to spend at shops or websites that accept Visa. There are fears that the new cards will make it easier for children to buy pornography, alcohol or cigarettes.

Issuing debit cards to children is "deeply dispiriting" according to Liberal Democrats Treasury spokesman Vince Cable. "This is clearly motivated by short-term greed," he tells the Daily Mail.

Lloyds TSB told the newspaper that there are measures in place to prevent the card being used on adult websites. However, the Mail claims that a 15-year-old boy managed to purchase cigarettes, fake ID and Viagra using such a card.

The boy's parents only became aware of his illicit spending when they received a Customs' demand for duty on the cigarettes.

Lloyds TSB has defended its policy. "We wrote to customers under the age of 16, who previously had a cash machine card, to let them know they could have a debit card," a spokesman told the Daily Mail. "We made it clear that they should let their parents know. Parents or guardians can ask for the cards to be blocked."

Asked why, like other banks, it didn't inform parents before sending the debit cards to children, the Lloyds TSB spokesman claimed: "We don't always have the parents' contact details or know the family's circumstances. There are cases where the child might bank with us but the parent might not."

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