Like First Edition said, these cards essentially are bank accounts. They're even backed by real brick & mortar banks. In the US, you have to provide the same info you would when opening a checking/savings account, SSN being the big one.
You can purchase one of the cards and even load it up without providing the SSN, but once you want to transfer money into it, you have to provide it. I'm pretty sure this all came about shortly after 9/11.
In my opinion (and it's only just that), these cards are best for people who can't get bank accounts for other reasons - problems with chexsys, too many accounts, etc. To me the associated fees with the card are too high, when I can just open another checking or savings account online in a few moments.
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