ePay has suspended access to the UKASH range in response to reported fraudulent activity. Here is the advice from ePay:
Please be advised that we have taken the steps and immediately deactivated the Ukash product to all Australian retailers in light of recent fraudulent activities.
Retailers are being targeted by people claiming to be from epay and instructing them to print Ukash vouchers from their terminals to verify the PIN and/or terminal. It would now seem they have gone a step further. For those wary retailers reluctant to provide the PIN’s over the phone they are instructing them to call a new epay CS number to verify it is epay. They have in turn set-up a number (02 8014 7198) that when called, by all intent and purposes sounds like epay Customer Services. This number is answered by several people stating ‘Welcome to epay how can I help’. THIS IS NOT AN EPAY CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM!.
While this is being investigated the decision has been taken to protect our retailers first and foremost and the product is now shutoff.
I have been in contact with Crime Stoppers and our phone service provider. I will be speaking to the Police tomorrow and making a formal statement. Please send me any correspondence that you have had with any retailers affected.
Please note that there are several terminal blasts hitting retailers as we speak, as well as a letter that will be sent to all Ukash enabled retailers (attached).
Should you have a store that has been targeted please advise them to contact the local police immediately.
I requested Epay to send written confirmation that Ukash would be removed from all our terminals on Monday.The operator advised they couldn’t do this.We have since filed a fraud report with the Police. Epay have failed their agents.
Anthony I think it caught them a bit this week. Hopefully they learn from it.
Can’t blame EPAY for scammers. I think we need to be more carefull.
I’ve now lost a cust for was paying for goods on internet via Ucash
We’ve lost a lot of kids that play online games with ukash as they don’t have credit cards.
Luke I’d suggest the card from REV and available through Tower is Rev was more reliable.
will you kash vouchers be coming back on sale in melbourne
This is so annoying. I was thinking of getting this for the first time, then I find out it’s being suspended?
GRR, when is it coming back? OR has it already?
When will UKASH b available again to purchase in melbourne – Victoria – is this likely to happen or is it gone all together?
Received notification from epay 29/6/12 that Ukash products have now been re-enabled on my terminal here in Brisbane. Is this the case everywhere now?
Be warned these scammers are still operating. Went away for the weekend and one of my staff got scammed from a call centre claiming to be epay. A $700 lesson learnt. Now I’m on hold waiting to do a police report.
Yes Steve blogged about it this morning. Several calls today.
Sack the staff for gross stupidity. If they did not see that coming they should not be allowed near the counter.