A young schoolboy left his family with a £2000 credit card bill after using an app on his grandfather’s iPad.
Six-year-old Will Smith unwittingly embarked on the spending spree while playing Monster Island, a popular children’s video game.
Fraud squad officers became suspicious of the activity on the family credit card and discovered that the schoolboy had spent the money.
The youngster spent the amount on the special app, which involves children “collecting” and “breeding” their own online creatures. Players then battle their way through the different levels before they reach the “Dark Monster.”
Will racked up the bill after accessing his grandfather’s password to iTunes, the Apple music store, where he bought virtual food and coins at up to £70 a time.
But his family had no idea that he was spending the vast amounts of money. They only discovered it after his grandmother went to use her credit card at a local Tesco store, where the card was declined.
“I must have synced my credit card up with the App Store, and Will has just been pressing buttons buying baskets of food and coins for his monsters,” Will’s grandfather, Barry Smith, told the Daily Mirror. “I can’t believe how easy it is for kids to buy things. Will’s only six.”
Mr. Smith, of Redcar, North Yorks, said when he explained the situation to Apple, officials agreed to refund the amount.
But while the family felt relieved to discover they were not the victims of fraud, Will felt upset when told he could not play the game anymore. His mother, Nicola, 32, said: “Will was really upset – he was about to reach Level 26 and fight the Dark Monster.” An Apple spokesman was unavailable for comment.
Content contributed and edited by staff member, reported from London, UK, sourced by telegraph.co.uk
