Mother experiences shock as child purchases $3,700 worth of lollipops via Amazon.
An Unforeseen and Sweet, Yet Pricey, Surprise
In the heart of Kentucky, a family had a sweet, yet expensive, surprise waiting for them. Their eight-year-old son, with a colorful imagination, swiped his mom's cellphone and used it to order an eye-popping quantity of Dum-Dums lollipops on Amazon, totaling an astonishing $4,200, or roughly €3,700. As the packages started pouring in, the family was left scratching their heads - an unexpected and not-so-salty bill!
The boy, in the throes of organizing an imagined carnival, saw the Dum-Dums as prizes for the event. However, when the worried mother noticed her bank account was in the red, she was utterly perplexed about the cause. "I was shocked when I saw $4,200 debited from my account," she told Good Morning America.
As more packages began arriving at the doorstep, the mother soon discovered that she hadn't seen the last of them - with eight more waiting in transit. However, reacting swiftly, she was able to refuse the deliveries and request refills from the sender. Thanks to her quick thinking, she eventually received a refund from Amazon. "It's all worked out in the end. Now remember, lock your phone!" she said with a smile.
Navigating Amazon with Children: Be Aware!
An unfortunate incident like this can easily be prevented by implementing various strategies. Firstly, setting up parental controls on devices and ensuring they require a password or PIN for purchases is essential. Additionally, one can enable purchase restrictions on Amazon itself, to require a PIN for activating purchases.
It's crucial to monitor and limit access to payment information and use Amazon's Two-Step Verification (2SV) to provide an extra layer of security. Educating children about online safety is also essential, teaching them about the importance of not making unauthorized purchases. Regularly reviewing account activity is essential to catch any unauthorized transactions, while disabling 1-Click ordering ensures purchases require a confirmation step.
Lastly, using Amazon's Family Library can help manage content access and set limits on purchases for children, ensuring a safer online shopping environment for them. In case of unauthorized purchases, contact Amazon customer service right away to request a refund.
- To avoid an impending financial surprise, parents should consider setting up parental controls and enabling purchase restrictions on devices, requiring a password or PIN for purchases on Amazon.
- As a preventative measure, it's advisable to use Amazon's Two-Step Verification (2SV) to provide an additional layer of security and monitors kids' access to payment information.
- It's essential to educate children about online safety, teaching them the importance of not engaging in unauthorized purchases and ensuring adults review account activity regularly.
- Another strategy is to disable 1-Click ordering and employ Amazon's Family Library to manage content access and set limits on purchases for children, fostering a safer online shopping environment for them.
- In the rare case of an unauthorized purchase, like the family's unfortunate experience with Dum-Dums lollipops perpetuated by an eight-year-old, contacting Amazon's customer service promptly is crucial to request a refund and maintain home-and-garden, lifestyle, and deals-and-discounts shopping while ensuring financial stability.
