Mother gives her tablet to her 6-year-old son and leaves him on his own: he spends over $16,000 on games
Children always need watching over, we all know this. Every parent tries to do everything possible to keep an eye on things, but, in some cases, it's not easy. In addition to having multiple kids, an adult must also manage work, home, extra-family relationships and it is difficult to keep everything under control. Given this, it is not unusual for parents to try to distract and entertain kids using a static device (like the TV).
The mother in this story tried doing this, but ended up losing a lot of money.
Intel Free Press/ Wikimedia - Not the actual photo
Jessica Johnson is a mother from Wilton, Connecticut, who had an unpleasant experience which involved her son. Six-year-old George was at home with his parents one afternoon, but his mom and dad didn't have time to play with him. Both were working, so they allowed George to play with their tablet. This was a huge mistake.
Without realizing it, George accessed his favorite game and bought tokens to allow him to advance in the game. This continued until Jessica realized what was happening. In total, George spent a whopping $16,293.10 at the Apple Store. Of course, Jessica immediately contacted her bank.
Initially, she had thought she was the victim of a scam, but upon investigation, Jessica realized that the purchases had been made through her tablet which was linked to her bank account. After several phone calls to explain the situation and seek reimbursement, Jessica get about $ 10,000 refunded - not the full amount, but certainly, better than nothing.
Later, Jessica decided to share her experience on Facebook in order to "warn" other parents. "I am a mother and I know how important it is to be aware of potential risks," Jessica said. She continued: "I think it is essential that other parents are also aware of this risk. My husband and I work from home and do everything possible to keep our children busy, sometimes using technology. But this solution went badly for us". A hard lesson not only for these two parents, but for any other parent who has responsibility for children.
Have you ever found yourself in an unfortunate situation like this?
