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Boy, 8, Racks Up Bill Of More Than £3K On Mum's Credit Card With Xbox Purchases

Boy, 8, Racks Up Bill Of More Than £3K On Mum's Credit Card With Xbox Purchases

His mum Martine says she was completely unaware of the purchases until her credit card statement arrived

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

An eight-year-old boy has racked up a bill of more than £3,000 ($3,700) on his mum's credit card after buying Xbox add-ons.

Leon Berriedale-Johnson wasn't aware that when he was buying Minecraft and Roblox extras that his mum Martine would be getting charged.

Martine, from Brighton, is now worried about how she will pay the bill, after Leon spent £3,210 ($3,980) in just three weeks while playing games online.

Mum Martine says her son spent more than £3,000 on her credit card without her knowing.
Triangle News

Leon made 19 purchases on 16 August, totalling £978.81 ($1,215.25) and then a couple of days later made seven more, with one costing £199.99 ($248.29).

The mum-of-two says the first she knew of it was when her credit card statement arrived, and she saw the charges.

Martine said: "I'd put in my card details once for him to buy an add-on for a game for £4.99. That was supposed to be a one-off special treat.

"I had no idea that my details had been saved on the system and Leon was still using my card to buy more online."

She added: "When I saw my credit card bill, I went crazy. I told him I was selling his Xbox."

Leon Berriedale-Johnson wasn't aware his mum would be charged for the purchases.
Triangle News

Martine said the bill was around 100 times what she usually pays, and she now fears she won't be able to feed her family while she's paying it off.

She said: "I'm a single mum and I already struggle to put food on the table.

"But I'm always really careful with my finances. I just don't know how I'm going to pay this bill."

She's even said the huge bill means she won't be able to buy her two sons any Christmas presents this year.

Martine said: "I've told the boys Christmas is cancelled and that they're not getting any toys. I don't even know if I'll be able to afford Christmas dinner after this."

Martine says she's had to 'cancel Christmas' to pay off the bill.
Triangle News

Martine said little Leon was upset when he realised what he had done. She said: "He had understood that he was buying something, but didn't understand the financial consequences. But now I've explained it to him and he realises what he did."

The mum claims Leon wasn't asked to enter the card's security code when he was making the purchases and that when she contacted Microsoft the company told her there was a 14-day window to claim refunds.

However, because Leon's purchases were from around three to four weeks ago, Martine can't get any of her money back.

In a statement Microsoft said: "Family settings and tools enable parents to block their children from making online purchases. We review all reports, and in cases where we our investigation confirms that purchases were made by a minor without parental permission, we may decide that a one-time refund is appropriate. On this occasion, the customer has been fully refunded."

Featured Image Credit: Triangle News

Topics: uk news