As a follow up, I did some background research and discovered that there are some legitimate schemes running, backed by major corporations, that are intended for the use of people without banking facilities or bank cards who may want to shop online, and their schemes enable people to buy credit and use it, perhaps via their cellphones or pc, to buy things online that they wouldn't otherwise be able to do.
They want to expand it beyond the 'non banked' population but, at present, that's the main market. The difference between their schemes and this one being that the credit you buy is denominated in real dollars, pounds and euros, not a 'pseudo-currency' (their word - 'PayBox currency').
I know that one of these schemes, at least, is regulated by the FSA in the UK, which is reassuring and that will be because it holds money deposits.
Perhaps Paybox will do the same and I'll gladly look at it again if it ever does.
