Boy Spends Over £1,000 Of Mum's Money On 'Fortnite'
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A 10-year-old boy spent over a thousand quid of his disabled mum's benefit money on Fortnite.
Forty-six-year-old Cleo Buckett, a single mother of two from Cefn Glas in Bridgend,, says she was left with just £8 in her account after her son used her bank card, without her knowing, to make in-game purchases on the popular game.
Cleo, who has polio and uses a wheelchair, told Wales Online: "I only found out about it all when the I went to use the cash machine and there was only £8 left in my account."
Shortly after she got a message from her bank telling her she was in her overdraft.
"My son started crying and admitted everything that he had done," Cleo added.
"He had used my bank card behind my back, typed my details into his Xbox and bought lots of games on Fortnite.
"He spent £1,193.25, leaving me around £245 into my overdraft.
"There was £50 here and £50 there; £60 here and £66 there, and that's without the VAT.
"I think he must have been paying for different parts of the game."
Once the boy owned up Cleo went into her bank to explain what had happened, but staff told her she would have to cover the overdraft debt herself.
She said: "The bank is refusing to help me because they said my boy is my responsibility and I am responsible for his actions.
"I'm not a criminal. I haven't stolen the money or spent it on games for myself.
"I've been with the bank for more than 20 years and they're just not helping me at all."
The mum, who gets around £700 a month in benefits, says she has now been forced to dip into her son's saving account to tide them over until her next benefit payment comes through and isn't hopeful that she'll ever get the money back.
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Cleo said she has contacted Fortnight, owned by Epic Games, but as yet, hasn't had a response.
"I'll probably never see that money again," she said.
"My boy didn't understand what he was doing - he's only 10.
"He didn't understand that it was real money. He thought he was only getting credits."
Cleo's bank has since offered a repayment plan for the money.
