Child's bank account has been hacked, £150 with of Google play transactions

onthemend88

My daughter opened up a NatWest bank account when she turned 11 in January and deposited all of her birthday and Christmas money into this new account. 

Every month I transfer her pocket money into this account. 

This evening, she came to me as there was something she wanted to buy for herself and best friend on Amazon - a £4.99 best friend necklace set. When we tried to make the transaction, her payment method was declined. We tried again, and the same thing happened. 

This prompted us to check her online banking and when we did, we were both shocked to find there was only a balance of 23p! We haven't checked her bank account for a long time, nor do we receive paper statements for this account as we opted for online statements when we opened the account. I know some will ask why haven't we checked her account until now but we have never felt the need to. This is because we know she is a good saver and if there has ever been anything she has wanted to buy, she will ask us first and because I know she is good with her money, we don't really check - a mistake I won't be making again. 

Anyway, all of these transactions are to Google Play store and since around March have ranged between 99p and £9.99. 

My daughter does have a Samsung phone and I set up a Google play store account for her and once a month she is allowed to use £4.99 for Roblox coins using her pocket money. When we buy them, I make the transaction using a password, which isn't saved, and which she doesn't know so I know 100% she has not made all of these transactions. She has just told me that when she plays this game on her phone, she often gets a message saying she has been kicked out of her game as it is being used in a different location so it looks like her Roblox account has been hacked. The email address i set up for her has also been hacked and we cannot gain access to it. 

I am so annoyed at myself for not checking her bank account regularly as this could have been spotted a long time ago however, why hasn't a block been put on her card? There are so many transactions, i am surprised something hasn't been flagged up by the bank.  

My steps tomorrow are to contact Roblox and deactivate her account. I have already cancelled her bank card and will ring the fraud team in the morning to see if there is anything that can be done to get her money back but i suspect as this has been going on since March, the onus will be on me as her parent for not raising this sooner which i will have to accept and will replace her money. 

Other than what I have stated, are there any other steps I should I be taking?

I would really appreciate some advice. 

Thank you. 

onthemend88

Update: I have managed to contact google and have raised a dispute/claim through them to investigate. It will be fully investigated by the 8th July. 

magritte

If the account doesn't come with a mobile app, perhaps it's a good idea to get her one that does. My 11-year old has an account with Barclays and checks the account balance frequently. 

colsten

There are several lessons in this episode. The ones I can see are:

1. don't leave your bank account unchecked for weeks on end
2. where offered, use the notifications (e.g. low balance, balance below £x etc)
3. use two-factor authentication for your email account, and for all other accounts where offered
4. be vigilant with your passwords - choose strong ones, change them regularly, never share your password, or passwords hints, with anyone
5. regularly review accounts and security arrangements with your kids

onthemend88

colsten said:

There are several lessons in this episode. The ones I can see are:

1. don't leave your bank account unchecked for weeks on end
2. where offered, use the notifications (e.g. low balance, balance below £x etc)
3. use two-factor authentication for your email account, and for all other accounts where offered
4. be vigilant with your passwords - choose strong ones, change them regularly, never share your password, or passwords hints, with anyone
5. regularly review accounts and security arrangements with your kids

Thank you, I agree with all of the above points. This is a massive learning curve for both of us. I will be working my way through things like password changes, two factor authentication and notifications today. Feel like I have massively let her down. 

magritte

Also, consider opening a savings account for her - she could keep the bulk of her money in there, and keep in the Natwest account only a small amount e.g. her monthly allowance. Most children bank accounts cannot go into overdraft, from what I know. 

colsten

Don't put yourself down. Whilst a scary and expensive experience, it should be a valuable experience for your daughter and it will hopefully help her to manage her future accounts safely. She shouldn't be put off online accounts, though - they are essential tools she'll need in her life, and the good news is, she can be in control. 

Thanks for sharing the mishap - let's hope it's a wake-up call for some others.

onthemend88

magritte said:

Also, consider opening a savings account for her - she could keep the bulk of her money in there, and keep in the Natwest account only a small amount e.g. her monthly allowance. Most children bank accounts cannot go into overdraft, from what I know. 

Thank you, I will look into this also. 

onthemend88

colsten said:

Don't put yourself down. Whilst a scary and expensive experience, it should be a valuable experience for your daughter and it will hopefully help her to manage her future accounts safely. She shouldn't be put off online accounts, though - they are essential tools she'll need in her life, and the good news is, she can be in control. 

Thanks for sharing the mishap - let's hope it's a wake-up call for some others.

She is so upset that this has happened and doesn't understand why people do this to other people, especially because she is an 11 year old child. I've explained that things like this happen and not all people are very nice. I've also told her we will make sure we check her online banking every day now to make sure everything is as it should be. 

I have just come off the phone with Natwest and they have also opened up a fraud case which will be investigated within 5 working days. They also said it would be reported to the police which has scared her but I have told her this is what they need to do to try and catch whoever has done this. 

Genuinely gutted for her and really hope google or Natwest are able to find out who made these transactions so that they can give her money back. 

TadleyBaggie

onthemend88 said:
They also said it would be reported to the police which has scared her but I have told her this is what they need to do to try and catch whoever has done this. 

Doubt the police will have the slightest interest in this, I suspect they meant Action Fraud. 

onthemend88

TadleyBaggie said:

onthemend88 said:
They also said it would be reported to the police which has scared her but I have told her this is what they need to do to try and catch whoever has done this. 

Doubt the police will have the slightest interest in this, I suspect they meant Action Fraud. 

I have just looked at action fraud and suspect this will be the case. What will Action Fraud do to help?