Help - Depression and in app purchases

Gman4075

I've just found out that over the last 6 weeks my mother has managed to rack up £16000 of debt, maxing out 2 separate credit cards on in app purchases buying gems on a mobile game.

She suffers from depression and has clearly just buried her head in the sand rather than realise the impacts of her actions.

It seems insane to me that both the credit card companies and the game creator have allowed this to happen. She is on benefits and has no way to pay back the balance she's raised. Is there any chance of having this written off, or will we need to look at debt management / bankruptcy because of this?

Any advice on this will be greatly appreciated. We're in full panic mode right now.

Fireflyaway

You could try explaining to the game provider and showing some evidence of your mums condition ( a GP letter) but my feeling is I doubt they will care. If your mum is deemed to have mental capacity, she is able to make her own choices even if they are bad ones. A lot of gamblers have poor mental health or substance misuse issues but the casinos / betting shops don't care. They just want the money. So long as they stick up some poster about responsible gambling they think that's enough.
I'd say the main thing is to have a chat about what support your mum needs. Does she have current support in place? Is she medicated or receiving counselling? What can she do to ensure this doesn't happen again? No point clearing this debt if the same thing happens again. I'm not an expert but it might mean sorting out a repayment plan. National debt line are on here a lot. Maybe they can help?

National_Debtline

Hi Gman4075


I'm really sorry hear about your mother's situation. As Fireflyaway says, first and foremost is she getting help and support with her depression? Her GP will be able to help and you may want to contact some of the mental health charities like Mind or Rethink.


The next thing I would advise doing is contacting both the credit card companies and the app companies and explaining what has happened. You should be able to act on your mother's behalf as long as she confirms you have permission to do so. You should try asking them to use their discretion to write off the debt due to her mental health. Medical evidence will help support this request. You can find more useful information on debt and mental health here https://www.nationaldebtline.org/EW/factsheets/Pages/debt-and-mental-health/mental-health.aspx


If the write off request is not successful then you will need to consider your mother's other options. If she receives benefits and has no substantial assets, a debt relief order or bankruptcy are likely to be her main options. You can contact one of the free debt advice agencies for more detailed advice on these. Good luck with sorting it all out.


Susie
@natdebtline