Do not use 3V Prepaid cards!

[John11uk]

I bought 5 cards and each value £62. Registered then using different IP with different accounts and 5 different names. Tried to make a purchase today from China Aliexpress with each card from same seller, all went fine. Few hours later all transactions been cancelled and all cards suspended. Received email from 3V saying please upload your passport, driving license, utility bills. Your account has been suspended. We are changing our policies and ways we operate.
Basically I lost £300. I will get them back when sort out IDs and etc but thought I let people know to be aware and avoid them if you don't want to have similar situation.

John

[slim jim]

Do not double post, your posts will get shutdown quicker than you'll get an answer.

[oompaloompa]

not surprised, not official policy, as it is a visa, but always been the assumption that 3v is used domestically within UK.

Maybe 3v thought it was a fraudulent transaction somehow...

[John11uk]

I used 3v before successfully. I used to transfer money from one to another, build larger amount and pay on aliexpress and DHgate. 3V website says it can be used abroad but exchange rate will apply.
I thought I'll warn people of what might happen if used to purchase from china the way I did.

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by John11uk

I bought 5 cards and each value £62. Registered then using different IP with different accounts and 5 different names. Tried to make a purchase today from China Aliexpress with each card from same seller, all went fine. Few hours later all transactions been cancelled and all cards suspended. Received email from 3V saying please upload your passport, driving license, utility bills. Your account has been suspended. We are changing our policies and ways we operate.
Basically I lost £300. I will get them back when sort out IDs and etc but thought I let people know to be aware and avoid them if you don't want to have similar situation.

John

Dont over react in posts like this. We'll ignore the duplication bit

Bottom line is your suspended account is being checked by 3V. Access to your funds is on hold.

Part of the troubles are the incorrect method of using the services.

Sort the ID quickly & resolve the problems. Be more prudent with future dealings ( with any of the prepaid card suppliers).

[rsot]

Thanks for the post - did not know 3v was heavily screening now

[sax4]

I'm surprised 3V give a shoot about this kind of behaviour. Their website is pretty basic, never any form of communication from them. I suppose they suspected you of money laundering or something.

Think 3V is still good, most of us use them purely for verification.

[cortex]

^agreed with money washing hypothesis

[John11uk]

My mistake was to make 5 transactions to the same person in 1 hour.
But I used different IP, user account on PC for every 3V account created. Each transaction from a new account of sum between $60 -$80. Only link I see was same person, well not really person it's aliexpress website and their account. The way it works it goes to aliexpress account and when i get item delivered aliexpress release money to a seller.

Worst part I only received 1 email out of 5 sent from 5 accounts saying please submit your ID and a utility bill. I also send queries from other accounts 3 times and they not even bothered to reply. Neither yesterday, neither today. All emails were very polite asking to explain seizure and action required to release money.

I guess I lost £300 in 5 accounts. I will still try to submit documents to 1 and see what's going to happen.

[oompaloompa]

explain money laundering theory, turn cash in to bankable monies, not usual type of ML

[GreenBean]

There is not usual type of money laundering.

Where did that idea start?

Activities that might appear unusual to a financial institution would go under the broader umbrella of money laundering.

OP's activities would appear to be that ( especially as that institution had no knowledge of his motives)