A CONCERNED mother from Wales has come forward to share her story and caution other parents after her 10-year-old daughter spent over £2,500 on the popular gaming platform Roblox. Georgina Munday’s daughter, Primrose, secretly changed the password on the family iPad, allowing unauthorized payments to be made without anyone’s knowledge.
Roblox is a widely popular game that enables users to create their own games while also offering in-app purchases for avatar upgrades, such as clothing and accessories, as well as pay-to-play games. While the platform has implemented what it claims to be a “robust policy” to prevent unauthorized payments, Georgina, hailing from Dyserth, Denbighshire, discovered that her daughter had somehow managed to change the password, leading to numerous transactions accumulating to a staggering amount of more than £2,500.
The concerned mother reached out to the BBC Radio Four program You and Yours after initially facing resistance from Tesco Bank when she requested a refund. However, once her case was brought to light on the show, the bank reevaluated the situation and ultimately apologized, agreeing to refund the full amount. Speaking on the program, Georgina, a 44-year-old nurse, expressed her relief, saying, “We’d just seen hundreds of transactions, these payment confirmations, so then the panic set in – oh my gosh, whose card is this on? It was a really stressful time.”
Reflecting on the ordeal, Georgina acknowledged that the past few months had been particularly challenging for her family, with her not currently working and focusing on her daughter’s care. She admitted, “The last few months have been quite stressful, so maybe we have had our eye off the ball. I just thought I would have to pay it off in installments over the next few years.”
Initially, when Georgina contacted Tesco Bank, they informed her that they couldn’t assist her because the transactions were made by her daughter. She then attempted to seek help from Apple but was only read their terms and conditions. It was only after the involvement of the BBC program that Tesco Bank confirmed they would refund the full amount, leading Georgina to “cry with relief.”
While Apple highlighted that there are mechanisms available to set up accounts with parental alerts before a child makes a purchase, Georgina wants to emphasize the need for vigilance among parents. She believes that children are often more tech-savvy than their parents and may not fully grasp the consequences of their actions. Commenting on her daughter’s understanding, Georgina said, “She knew what she was doing, she changed the password, but I don’t think she understood the enormity of it. Children are one step ahead of parents these days. We thought this Roblox game was quite innocent, it looks very basic. It’s a whole world out there on this Roblox that we knew nothing about.”
In response to the incident, Roblox has provided guidance on safety measures for parents to monitor account activity. The platform emphasizes the availability of several methods for parents to exercise control, including a robust refund request process for unauthorized payments. Additionally, parents can utilize the suite of Parental Controls offered by Roblox to regulate their children’s spending and set up spend notifications for increased visibility.
Tesco Bank, upon further review of the case, expressed regret that they didn’t initially arrange a refund for Georgina and have now committed to refunding the full amount. In a statement to the BBC, the bank said, “We apologize to Ms. Munday that this wasn’t arranged for her when she first contacted us, and we’ve therefore also organized
