Not all terminals are equally reliable, cheating is rare, but it happens. Photo: Alexey Filippov/ TASS
Need to pay utility bills or to make a contribution to the repayment of the loan? To go to the Bank not necessarily enough to reach the nearest terminal or ATM. But to actually make life easier, not create problems, it is necessary to have an idea of how it works.
On questions of readers “RG” said the head of Department of payment systems and calculations of Bank of Russia in the Central Federal district Elena Pivovarova.
Who has the legal right to accept payments through payment terminals and ATMs?
Elena Pivovarova: First of all, this credit institution. Payment terminals and ATMs, call them self-service devices, is today in operating rooms in most banks. The difference between them is that the payment terminal accepts only cash, and if he has a device for accepting payment cards, then it is ATM.
However, banks, which, under the law, are the operators for transfer of funds, may enter into a contract with another organization and give it the right to take from citizens cash or issue them with the use of terminals and ATMs. Such organizations are called the banking payment agents. They, in turn, can also according to the agreement to charge payments to other organisations or individual entrepreneurs that are referred to as payment sub-agents.
There are also operators to receive payments. It is a legal entity that has concluded with suppliers of goods and services the contract on reception of payments from citizens.
Operators and payment sub-agents are agents, but not the Bank, and independent.
When the ATM is in the Bank, there is no fear arises. Terminals, which are, for example, in the underpass, a avoid. Which devices can be trusted: those owned by banks, or those owned by the agents?
Elena Pivovarova: If you want to pay by credit card, you can only use the ATMs owned by banks or Bank payment agents. The rest of the agents have the right to accept cash only through a payment terminal.
However, you need to keep in mind that terminal money be in the Bank, which transfers them to the recipient. The Bank should not have a ban or restriction on the transfer of funds on instructions from physical persons without opening Bank accounts. If the Bank of Russia sent for him such restrictions or prohibition, the Bank is not only obliged to stop taking cash from citizens, but also to notify the owners of the terminal.
And are there any cases of fraud with the self-service devices? And how to determine by their appearance that the terminal is installed illegally? What you need to pay attention to?
Elena Pivovarova: Such cases are rare, but there are. You should not use the self-service devices installed in suspicious places. You must pay attention to the information on the terminal body, including data about the owner, contacts. If neither on the body nor on the screen of the device there is no information about the Bank through which payments go, paying agent, subagent, it is better to abort the operation and not to make money. You can report suspicious device the police.
After payment, be sure to wait for the check and verify data on the amount of the payment and the recipient. In case of any problems with transfer of money need to contact the Bank, whose name along with contact numbers must be specified in the check. Similar information must be kept in check if the device belongs to the self-service Bank payment subagent or the paying agent.
With the growing number of self-service devices, the main method of counterfeit cards became skimming (skimming) – the transfer of data from the magnetic strip of the real card to another card, which the scammers make themselves or receive as a result of theft of blanks of cards in the Bank or in producing procurement card company. Therefore, the Bank of Russia demanded that from 1 July 2015, the banks issued these cards with a magnetic strip, but with a microchip.
If neither on the body nor on the screen of the terminal there is no information about the Bank through which payments are, it is better to abort the operation and not to make money
If the citizen all-taki became a victim of swindlers, it is necessary to address in law enforcement bodies.
Sometimes it is important to transfer money quickly. As soon as the beneficiary receives the payment made via the terminal?
Elena Pivovarova: By law, the transfer of funds (with the exception of “electronic money”) is carried out in a period not exceeding three working days. The count starts from the day of debiting the funds from the payer’s Bank account or from the moment of entering by the payer of cash.
The transfer of electronic money is carried out instantly by reducing the balance of electronic money of the payer and increase the balance of electronic money of a recipient for the transfer amount.
What to do if the money was transferred through the terminal, but to the destination they reached?
Elena Pivovarova: you Must send your claim in writing to the organization, whose requisites are indicated in the check. It is necessary to specify the date and time of the operation, the location of the device and of course payment details: amount of cash and the recipient of the funds.
Who and how controls the operation of self-service devices? What penalties are provided for their poor or fraudulent work?
Elena Pivovarova: If the self belongs to the Bank or the paying agent, the monitoring work is carried out by the credit institution itself.
Methods and forms of control of credit institutions in its payment subagents are set out in the legislation. If the agent is not fulfilling its obligations, the credit institution shall terminate a contract with him.
Control over activity of the credit organisations by the Bank of Russia.
Another thing, if the terminal belongs to an independent paying agent. The control is not within the competence of the Bank of Russia. Tax authorities control how the agents are performing duties for the delivery to the Bank received from taxpayers cash. If its obligations not to execute a payment agent, it is advisable to contact the tax authorities at the location of the terminal. They have the right to impose fines on organizations and individual entrepreneurs for violations.
Violation of the order of work with cash and order of conducting cash operations refers to the number of administrative offences. Cases of such violations considering the tax authorities.
And what are the measures, the violators can be taken by the Bank of Russia?
Elena Pivovarova: the Law On the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia)” prohibits the Bank of Russia to interfere in the operational activities of credit institutions, which, in particular, include the establishment of contractual relationships with customers.
However, the Bank of Russia monitors the implementation by credit institutions of the banking legislation and statutory acts of Bank of Russia. Measures to be taken in case of violations, are quite varied: the Central Bank may apply such measures as the imposition of a fine, the restriction or prohibition of the holding of the credit organisation of separate operations, the appointment of the provisional administration to manage the credit organization as well as the revocation of the license to conduct banking operations.
Elena Grekova
