10-year-old scores felony charge through 'Minecraft' - Polidicks

[B]Source: [/B][URL="http://www.dailydot.com/crime/nebraska-xbox-minecraft-felony-theft-grandson/"]here[/URL] [QUOTE=Dailydot.com] [IMG]http://cdn0.dailydot.com/cache/61/68/6168ee2d256ca665962b797c566629f6.jpg[/IMG] The online building-block game Minecraft is a great tool that can lead to the strengthening of a player's creative and strategic abilities. For one unfortunate child, though, the game led to something else: a felony charge. An unidentified 74-year-old grandmother from Lincoln, Neb., received a call from her bank notifying her of suspicious charges on her credit card account. It turns out that the thief was not some random cyber criminal, but rather her 10-year-old grandson. The child had managed to rack up over $800 on the card through Minecraft. The only way the woman could reverse the charges was to file a police report. When she did so, the boy attracted police officers' suspicion of felony theft. Because of his age, the boy's case will be heard in juvenile court. While the Xbox Live Marketplace does indeed charge for some additions to the game, such as themes or additional characters and tools, nothing is anywhere near $800. Most items available for purchase run anywhere from $1 to $4. On the other hand, $800 can buy a lot of pickaxes. [/QUOTE] Article isnt very long so here's the whole thing.

Woah thats fucked up.

'Minecraft'

What I find the most insane is that the only way she could get a refund was by filing a police report.

Isn't this like an INCREDIBLY common thing? Children unknowingly racking up obscene charges on their parent's cards by playing mobile games and f2p microtransaction based games?

So, they're going to charge an unknowing child with an adult crime. gg

Hold on... How did he spend $800 on Minecraft, when all the skin packs and in-game purchases aren't worth more than $40-50 or so? I didn't even think you could buy tools, isn't it just those skin packs and texture packs?

[quote]The only way the woman could reverse the charges was to file a police report.[/quote] Except this isn't true?

[QUOTE=Binladen34;43118051]So, they're going to charge an unknowing child with an adult crime. gg[/QUOTE] And said charge will be dropped in juvenile court because the kid didn't have capacity to know what he was doing. Doesn't seem strange to me.

how do you even buy shit for minecraft i thought it was a $20 game with like no microtransaction stuff

It's horrible that the only way to get it refunded is to file a police report, but even so, wouldn't it be better to NOT file a police report and just bite the $800 bullet instead of ruining your kids law because YOU failed to teach him how to use credit cards/money intelligently and responsibly?

Xbox Minecraft is loaded with fucking micro-transactions? For fucks sakes. Micro-transactions on child-friendly games need to be regulated somehow.

[QUOTE=Aurora93;43118093]how do you even buy shit for minecraft i thought it was a $20 game with like no microtransaction stuff[/QUOTE] 360 version.

[QUOTE=woolio1;43118063]Hold on... How did he spend $800 on Minecraft, when all the skin packs and in-game purchases aren't worth more than $40-50 or so? I didn't even think you could buy tools, isn't it just those skin packs and texture packs?[/QUOTE] He probably spent it on unrelated stuff on the Xbox Marketplace. Minecraft is just the scapegoat here.

[QUOTE=valkery;43118021]What I find the most insane is that the only way she could get a refund was by filing a police report.[/QUOTE] bank's fault. they want to make sure that someone gets punished.

[QUOTE=Binladen34;43118051]So, they're going to charge an unknowing child with an adult crime. gg[/QUOTE] not necessarily. His case will be heard in juvenile court, too.

This happens so often I can't help but feel these companies actively capitalize on deceit, and make money from the unwitting parents of young children. It's borderline fraudulent.

even if it's a 10 year old boy.

Yep, if they put microtransactions in the XBLA Minecraft when they were nonexistent in every other version, they KNEW what was going to happen and took advantage of it anyway.

[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;43118097]Xbox Minecraft is loaded with fucking micro-transactions? For fucks sakes. Micro-transactions on child-friendly games need to be regulated somehow.[/QUOTE] That's the thing, though... It's got, like, $20 worth of microtransactions. Most of them are free, and unlike the article says, you can't actually buy tools or items. It's just the skin packs. [url]http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Minecraft-Xbox-360-Edition/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802584111f7?DownloadType=GameAddon#LiveZone[/url] My thoughts? He was buying a heck of a lot more than Minecraft. More likely, he probably bought the entirety of the XBLA catalog. I don't disagree, though. All games should have some sort of parental control system for microtransactions.

[QUOTE=mysteryman;43118022]Isn't this like an INCREDIBLY common thing? Children unknowingly racking up obscene charges on their parent's cards by playing mobile games and f2p microtransaction based games?[/QUOTE] That's why games and other services shouldn't save credit card details. Kids don't understand what they are doing. I mean hell I racked up 200 bucks on my parents credit card buying shit with Microsoft points when I was 10 or somewhere around there.

[QUOTE=yawmwen;43118114]even if it's a 10 year old boy.[/QUOTE] Chances are high that the case will be dropped.

Reminds me of when I called the Runescape membership hotline in the dead of night on my grandparents' landline because my parents wouldn't let me be a member.

[QUOTE=be;43118094]It's horrible that the only way to get it refunded is to file a police report, but even so, wouldn't it be better to NOT file a police report and just bite the $800 bullet instead of ruining your kids law because YOU failed to teach him how to use credit cards/money intelligently and responsibly?[/QUOTE] It's a ten your old kid. He won't get anything, except for judge telling him to be more carefull.

Gotta love these kids these days.

[QUOTE=.FLAP.JACK.DAN.;43118154]That's why games and other services shouldn't save credit card details. Kids don't understand what they are doing. I mean hell I racked up 200 bucks on my parents credit card buying shit with Microsoft points when I was 10 or somewhere around there.[/QUOTE] Parents need to be taught how to use the parental controls on their consoles and phones so their kids can't do this.

I'm sure this happens a lot more in F2P games which most of the time the company understands that kids get ahold of their parents' credit cards and just permaneantly bans the account.

[QUOTE=varg666;43118267]Gotta love these kids these days.[/QUOTE] If these were the 1950's or something and you gave a 10 year old a wallet full of money in a candy store, I bet the same thing would happen.

[QUOTE=Ninja Duck;43118355]If these were the 1950's or something and you gave a 10 year old a wallet full of money in a candy store, I bet the same thing would happen.[/QUOTE] I was being sarcastic.

[QUOTE=Janus Vesta;43118340]Parents need to be taught how to use the parental controls on their consoles and phones so their kids can't do this.[/QUOTE] How though? It's not like parents even look at the ESRB rating these days (or ever) for example.