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Local man says Green Dot mistake cost him $400

Cards are also popular with scam artists, says Better Business Bureau

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A local man is not happy with a major prepaid cash card company, saying the company lost a lot of his money.

The company is Green Dot, which sells prepaid cash cards that are also popular with scam artists, because the money on them is untraceable.

Consumers buy them, put money on them and then can usually go online and pay for things with the account number on the back.

The problem is, if you give anyone that number, the money is gone.

"They're a preloaded card, like a credit card, where you go in, put $100 on the card, give it to your niece for Christmas, or something like that. Same principle," said Tom Stephens of the Better Business Bureau.

Stephens said scam artists have latched onto the cards, convincing unsuspecting victims that they need to go buy one, and then give the scam artist the number to pay for everything from entering a lottery to paying a bogus fine.

He said if you're ever asked to give someone -- or even use -- a Green Dot card number, it's a scam.

"It's a 110 percent chance it's a scam," Stephens said. "If they're telling you to go buy a Green Dot money card, that's the last you'll ever see of the money, and they'll not give you what they promised you."

But there's a different Green Dot problem, one man said.

"I purchased this Green Dot money card and loaded $400 to it," Quentin Lester said. "To pay my bills at work online, because I can't leave. But when I went to activate the card and use it, it said there were zero funds on it."

Lester said he never gave the account number to anyone after he bought his card, and thinks the only reason the card lost the money is because the Green Dot Corporation made a mistake.

"They said they were finished with the investigation, and I can't get my money back," Lester said. "They didn't say why. They wouldn't even tell me, told me it went into another account. But I don't understand why it would go in another account."

Lester said he plans to file a lawsuit against Green Dot for more than the $400 he lost.

News4Jax contacted the Green Dot Corporation about the case, but they have not returned the call.


About the Author
Scott Johnson headshot

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.

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