![]() just double checkingĪpril 2020: Facebook hackers leaked phone numbers and personal data from 553 million users online. Michael: Is the user writing in a parent, or is this user a 13ish year old Gillian: It's $6,545 – but card was just added on Sept. ![]() ![]() Michael: What's the users total lifetime spend? Gillian: Would you refund this whale ticket? User is disputing ALL charges… 'The child had entered a credit card number to play a game, and in about two weeks racked up thousands of dollars in charges, according to an excerpt of messages between two employees at the social media giant.' 'In one of the unsealed documents, two Facebook employees deny a refund request from a child whom they refer to as a "whale" – a term coined by the casino industry to describe profligate spenders,' the outlet wrote. One Facebook employee emphasized that children could easily be confused by in-app purchases because it 'doesn't necessarily look like real money to a minor'.Įven after the issue was brought up, however, the company kept denying refunds, Reveal said. The ruling came in response to a request from Reveal, the news agency of The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) The United States District Court last week gave Facebook ten days to file unredacted documents. 'In nearly all cases the parents knew their child was playing Angry Birds, but didn't think the child would be allowed to buy anything without their password or authorisation first,' according to an internal Facebook memo obtained by Reveal. When Facebook employees voiced their concerns, the company reportedly analysed cases involving Angry Birds, which revealed the average player age was just five years old. The documents allegedly describe widespread confusion of both parents and children over the ongoing charges. However, the company never provided a refund, so the family resorted to a lawsuit. She reached out to Facebook to refund the money, saying that she had never authorised the charges beyond the original $20. When the credit card bill came a few weeks later, the mother was shocked to find several hundred dollars of charges from the game. So as he continued playing the game, he thought that his later purchases were made with 'virtual currency'. The child, referred to as 'I.B.' in the documents, was unaware that the site had stored his mom's payment information. The lead plaintiff in the suit, which has been kept under wraps for years, was a child who used his mother's credit card one time to pay $20 while playing Ninja Saga on Facebook. 'And the company failed to provide an effective way for unsuspecting parents to dispute the massive charges, according to internal Facebook records.'Īccording to the documents, Facebook employees were aware that children were spending money without their parents' knowledge. The United States District Court last week gave Facebook ten days to file unredacted documents in response to a request from Reveal, the news agency of The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR).Īnnouncing its victory last week, Reveal wrote: 'A glimpse into the soon-to-be-released records shows Facebook's own employees worried they were bamboozling children who racked up hundreds, and sometimes even thousands, of dollars in game charges. It comes after 135 pages of court documents - including internal Facebook memos, secret strategies and employee emails - were unsealed in response to legal action (stock image) Parents sued Facebook after the firm 'duped' children playing online games out of money and refused to issue any refunds.
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