OMFG just found out DS has spent £1700 on ipod game!!!

[splodge2001]

It's all in the title really. Still shaking, It's been going on since June> I hadn't noticed because the spending was masked by some unusual purchases over the last few months. Am livid! I've deleted 'Clash of Clans' banned the Ipod, grounded him, asked him to think of ways he can pay us back (he won't be able to). What the hell do I do? Can I get my money back. Do I report it as fraud? After all, I didn't allow it to happen. Help!

There are 3 passwords on apple devices.
The first is getting onto the home screen, simple 4 digit password.
The second is what you put when you want to restrict inapp purchases, net content and other things.
The third is the Store password. This one also requires the use of the email address and a password that consists of at least 8 characters, not contain any more than 3 consecutive identical characters, include at least one number, a least one upper and at least one lower case character.

Now, from what you are saying op, the lad used the dob password, which implies the second pin... This, until you clarify if the email has been changed on the device, implies that the device was never, ever logged out of the store.

Before you contact apple you need to be very clear because you are wanting a hell of a lot of money refunded. It's nice that others are giving you a bit of hope, but realistically theirs are cases of weeks, not months.

And those saying that ooh an 11 year old doesn't understand the value of money.... Don't you remember being 11? Where you really that clueless about money? No of course not. 11 year olds have pocket money, they know the basics about budgetting, they have to buy their own meals in school. They will have come across money at some point and realise that it doesn't go that far.

The blame isn't with whatever company. The blaim is with the parents. They hand children these devices (laptops, tablets, phones) without knowing a thing about them. They install no controls. They install no security. Nothing. They don't take the time to find out how to make these things safe. All the info is out there. They just need to take time and search.... Yes I have apple devices, that my children and their mates play with. Have done so for the last couple of years. But I took the time to ensure that my money is protected. If that makes me smug, then you know what I would rather be smug than a clueless mug. FFs, as others have pointed out, it's not even like this stuff has never been reported before, but still, the cycle continues.

Splodge. I just don't understand! Surely he must have also know your Apple ID password?? Have you tried to replicate the purchase process on your sons IPod.

He DEFINITELY would have needed your Apple ID password if it was running a recent iOS and I am absolutely nearly positive he would have needed it regardless of how old it was? but I could be wrong
The only way around this would be for him to come to you and get you to input the password and for him to use the 15 minute password window.

It was his apple id. and the in app thing only needed a pin.

FYI Opti, I set the pin up precisely to prevent this from happening. He guessed it and now we're screwed.

He wasn't adding up the spending and I think it didn't seem very real. He was addicted to the popularity he got for being good at the game. It's all rather sad really.

The app thing only needed a pin??

An app on the iPad?

Not possible.

Well that explains why you were not getting email notifications
Have you checked his email account? They will have been sent there.

You are not allowed to set up an Apple ID for an 11 year old. Either you or he would have had to submit a fake birthdate. Once entered you cannot change it - so it's not possible that your son could have gone back and altered it at a later date.

OP Did you contact Apple today??

It was an iPOD not ipad curiousgeorgie

Thanks to this thread, I've just changed my settings from 15 mins to immediately. So thanks for the info.

He is pulling a fast one.

I have the game. I have just tried purchasing on various devices. I made sure that I was logged out of the store... Guess what?? Each time, on each device I had to log into store which required email and password. If I had purchased gems, just would have made the youngest a happy little chap lol.

He has not used the pin number. He has logged in using the email.

Oddly, all my devices "remember" my log in by themselves, they only require password.

So I guess it can vary depending on set up

Mine all remember the id email, but on its own that is no use. The password needs to be put in each time.

Sorry, that was just a repeat of what you said Fiscal. I meant to add, it's the password not the PIN (either of the PINs I have set) which is asked for.

Could he have used the PIN to go in to restrictions and change it to allow in app purchases?
Although that means he knows what he's doing. And even then you have to enter the apple id password

But regardless of whether you get paper statements you would have online statements...

I have sympathy for this happening to people. It hasn't happened to us, but I think that's more dumb luck than tech savvy good parenting. Part of my job is to know about these things, but it's hard to keep up with the constant changes - Facebook privacy settings, anyone? It's extremely difficult to know that you've missed vital steps when they keep changing, are not listed in setup procedures, are non-obvious and everything still works perfectly without having done them (until it all goes wrong, of course).

I don't have sympathy for blithely denying any responsibility for checking your bank and credit card accounts. You are not only denying responsibility but not assuming responsibility for this in the future and don't seem to understand that the reason things have gone as massively wrong as they did is the fact that you did not check these statements on a regular basis. "It's too complicated" is not an excuse for not looking them over. It's basic stuff, if not the most basic thing you need to do when you have a debit or credit account.

Bloody hell how exactly is badgering the op about historically checking her statements helping in any way other than to help those banging on about it to feel all warm fuzzy and superior?

Yes she didn't check as well as she should have,yes that was daft but give the poor woman a break pointing that out now is going to change what about her current crisis?

Bugger all.

Anyone whose taken out a cc loan probably has no other option ( apart from PDL) that also means that chances are they are financially in a hole,its really not unusual for people in that situation to not check stuff like that often your lucky if they even open the letters. So why put the boot in to a person who is acting in a normal way to an abnormal situation

I buy itunes gift cards - that way they don't have my cc details to hand. (too late now but maybe helpful for future purchases)

Sockreturningpixie - because she seems to have no intention of looking at them in the future and doesn't even acknowledge it as a factor in causing the situation.

This big bad thing happened and a necessary part of making sure it or things like it don't happen again is checking the statements regularly. I think people are trying to make her see that it's important - for more reasons than just this one incident, actually.

I still can't get used to 'returning' pixie. What happened to nicking??!!

Well people got all a bit concerned about their feet when I was nicking them

I must have missed her post when she sad she wouldn't look in future.

Sad!!!! No no no I meant said,I'm not sad at all,I'm really rather cheery

Ok, so when your son got his iPod, you or your husband set up an iTunes account for him using your husband's credit card? Your son knows the password for this account.

The emails either go to your son's email address or he logged on to the account and changed the settings so you wouldn't get them.

You did set up his iPod so that he couldn't make in-app purchases and set up a pin. However your son guessed the pin and was able to turn in-app purchases back on. As he knew the password for the iTunes account he could purchase whatever he wanted.

Every month, you check the balance on your credit cards but not the actual statement? So you didn't notice all the purchases.

Is that correct?

I hope Apple refund you the money. It must have been an awful shock for you. I think you obviously have learnt a lot from this,

1. If your kids have their own iTunes account do not link it to a credit card. They can buy and use vouchers instead or keep the password a secret from them, switch the settings to 'immediately' and monitor their usage.

2. Set a pin that cannot be easily guessed

3. Check your bank statements every month. There is a lot of fraud about at the moment so it is good practice.

There was a pin number - he guessed it.

Really ?

A four digit pin code is a ten to the power of four random number - and he GUESSED it?

I won't say "impossible" out loud but I will say EXTREMELY unlikely.

Does he do the lottery?

The OP already said that the PIN was her birthday year.

Did you read the bit where the OP said she used her birthday, or are you just looking for a reason to call troll, Monty?

But the OP did know enough that she had to switch off in-app purchases. She just naively used a PIN that was easy for him to guess. Isn't the most common PIN something like 1234?

Kids are so smart. My 2 year old can enter the PIN I have set to switch on the phone. The one they need to change the settings is different and impossible to guess and I always make sure to hide the phone from view when I input it or my Apple password. My older son is only 5 but I know his little brain is switched on and he doesn't miss a thing!

I don't agree that this could happen to anyone. If you have your security set tight then it can't happen but if you don't have your security set tight then it absolutely could happen to you.