Let this be a lesson in parenthood: Handing your child your iPad to keep them occupied while you’re working can be costly.
It would be hard for 41-year-old Connecticut mom Jessica Johnson to buy her 6-year-old son, George, anything for Christmas that he doesn’t have already, after he spent $16,000 in the Apple app store on his favorite video game, the New York Post reported.
It would be cheaper to buy herself 24K gold rings than the red and gold rings that young George was buying as boosters to add characters and speed in his Sonic Forces game.
“It’s like my 6-year-old was doing lines of cocaine – and doing bigger and bigger hits,” Johnson joked to the New York Post, adding that her husband cares for their two sons full-time.
She has been working from home in her real estate brokerage job and did not put any preventive settings on the iPad. In one July day, George racked up $2,500 in app charges.
Johnson called Chase about what she assumed to be fraudulent Apple and PayPal charges that were bundled without description. She filed a fraud claim on a $16,293 bill in July. Three months later, Chase said they were her charges and to contact Apple. That revealed her buried charges that finally showed a Sonic icon to make her realize what had happened.
Apple said it could not waive the charges because the 60-day window had passed, Johnson told the New York Post.
Her income has been cut by 80% this year. The Johnsons could not pay their mortgage. George offered to help, but he better turn this into professional gaming quickly for the investment to pay off.
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