Debit Cards for Child Support and Alimony Recipients: Mixed Performance
Many states now transmit child support (and spousal support) payments to recipients via debit cards.
Sounds convenient for all.
Unless some of the money that is supposed to be available through the card isn’t.
One state using debit cards is New Jersey.
One child support recipient was allegedly told that she spent her “missing” support money … on jewelry … in Nepal.
And she would have to take her disputes up with the merchant … in Nepal.
This mother in need of support had not been charging jewelry to her card in Nepal.
But the debit card company disagreed with her for two months.
Until the media intervened on the mother’s behalf.
Reportedly, this is not an isolated instance of fraudulent charges that were made the support recipient’s problem to investigate and resolve with the merchant.
Some support recipients who have had to deal with fraudulent charges have opted to switch from debit cards to direct deposit of their child support money into their accounts.
Read more in this New Jersey Star-Ledger article: Another EPPICard user misled on how to fight fraudulent charges.
