A local Edmonton mom is warning others after noticing a $4800 total charge to her credit card, all from iTunes. The charges came from a single app her 9 year old daughter was using on her old device. The child’s finger print somehow enabled her to make repeat purchases and racking up almost five thousand dollars in charges over a short period of time.
She did notice something in her junk mail, saying something about a purchase, but assumed it was fraudulent. Neither Apple nor her credit card contacted her to see if this irregular spending pattern was legitimate, and by the time she figured it out, she was stuck with the bill. Although she says the Apple family sharing plan is not supposed to allow children to approve purchases, it somehow did – and since they deleted the app upon discovering the multiple charges, they have also erased the in app purchases, leaving nothing but an unfair debt behind.
“I’m still completely baffled over all this” Corinna told me in a private message earlier today. Her kids normally have limited iPad time, and she cannot grasp how this much money in app purchases could have been made by a child with just a click of the thumb. I am not even sure how to avoid this, since clearly once you see the charges, it’s too late! Hopefully Apple addresses and fixes this issue before more families lose their hard earned money to ridiculous charges like these.
See below for her full Facebook post regarding the incident:
“My daughter managed to rack up 4800 on iTunes on an in app purchase for a game called Talking Hank. I did not receive any notice of these charges until I went into my junk mail, which never usually happens and found about a dozen emails saying receipt for 149.99 and on… at first I just ignored it because I thought it was a scam, hoax that all my junk mail seems to pick up… just like my bank being compromised every day from bank institutes I don’t even deal with. So I deleted them. It wasn’t until I went to order something off Amazon that notified me that something was wrong with my credit card. I thought oh no here we go, my credit card has been hacked. I quickly went on line to look at my credit card snap shot and there I saw Apple iTunes …. pages and pages and hundreds and hundreds of dollars charged. I quickly phoned Apple and in turn they quickly passed the buck and told me to contact my credit card co. So I phoned them said it was all fraud I didn’t approve these in app purchases. The Credit Card co. assured me not to worry and all would be taken care of and I wouldn’t have to foot this bill after all the credit card co has insurance for stuff like this right?
A month goes by and I get a phone call back from my credit card co. saying that it wasn’t fraud and that all these purchases were legit. I almost threw up! I was furious, shocked and bewildered to how these charges were even remotely legit. After yelling at the credit card co. for failing to protect me and not even alerting me to these profound charges made in such a short time, I quickly contacted Apple, again. They told me that all these charges came off my old device that my 9 year old daughter is using. But how? This can’t be possible! I set her up on Family Share plan and everything has to go through me for approval…this has to be fraud? Turns out some how my daughters Thumb print to unlock her phone also was a pass to use for approving in app purchases. Now looking at the Apple policies it says Thumb print is the key (gateway) to charge away without the inconveniences of having to put a passcode in. Then you look under their policy for the Family Share plan and it says that you are protected from that and that the child’s thumb print is only used to unlock their device! So, how do you explain 4800 in charges on my credit card? Apple iTunes pretty much have said sorry but not sorry. I was reluctant to even have my credit card on file for this but when setting up the Family Share Plan it makes you put a credit card on file. Up to this point I would only use Apple Gift Cards or ITunes Gift Cards. Must be a glitch or a loop hole? Regardless Apple is refusing on good faith or merit to even refund me half of these charges. Oh and the kicker my quick reaction I made my daughter delete the game because I thought there was some fraud happening so now I can’t even bring the game back up to prove that she doesn’t have any extra gems or coins or whatever it is that she so called purchased – with these charges she would have thousands of coins or gems but once you delete the game and try to re-instal it clearly states that you can lose all items purchased in the game. BOO!
I have now taken my credit card off file. Went into settings and turned off the button for in app purchases and her thumb print removed from file on device. I find the fact that the Family Share Plan is for 13 and under and it is suppose to protect parents from any of this happening! As I get older I am finding I am becoming more ignorant with technology and feel it is near impossible to keep up and protect myself and my children. 4800 of charges I have to some how pay and not have a darn thing to show for it. Meanwhile Talking Hank can take the trip to Disneyland for me and write all about it to my kids. Feeling depleted and helpless. Please share!
Corinna”
So sorry this happened to you, Corinna, and hopefully it gets resolved. In the meantime, everyone make sure you are checking your statements regularly, checking junk mail for legitimate emails from Apple or iTunes, and possibly consider removing your card info from your family devices, if it’s not too inconvenient!