Safeguards for lost Octopus cards urged

The Consumer Council has asked the firm that provides Octopus cards to improve safeguards for customers who lose them.

It takes up to 24 hours to block personalised Octopus cards that carry the owner's details, but most cards are issued anonymously and cannot be cancelled if they are lost or stolen.

Octopus Cards Ltd yesterday said it was reviewing technology that might improve the service, but that cards could not be blocked immediately because it took time to notify all 130 service providers, who then had to blacklist the card from processors.

An average of 74 personalised cards were reported lost or stolen each day from May to July. The council received 185 complaints about Octopus cards from 1999 to last year, mainly related to card losses.

Council spokesman Matthew Ng said a personalised card could be automatically value-added via a credit card link twice within a 24-hour period, with consumers liable for up to $834 if a card was stolen. Anonymous cardholders are unable to claim a refund because the cards are easily transferable.

Dr Ng stressed the importance of reporting lost personalised Octopus cards. He quoted one case of a man who lost his credit card and personalised Octopus card. He reported only the credit card loss and incorrectly assumed this would block the automatic value-added service.