Boy, 12, unwittingly ran up £1,150 bill on father's credit card by racking up 'Microsoft Points' while playing on his Xbox



Nik Ghera thought he was using up game points to 'improve' his characters

However he was actually purchasing an 'online currency' which charged his dad's credit card

Dad Sam only realised when he tried to use his card and was told he had insufficient funds

The council worker is now warning other parents of the hidden costs of games console



A 12-year-old boy accidentally ran up a £1,500 bill while playing Xbox Live - leaving his cash-strapped dad with no choice but to pick up the tab.



Sam Ghera's son Nik thought he was using up game points every time he 'improved' his characters while playing Call of Duty and Fifa.

However, with each click he was actually purchasing an online currency - which was draining money from his dad's account.

Game over: Sam Anupam Ghera was horrified when his son Nikhil Ghera accidentally ran up a £1,150 bill while playing on X-Box Live

Now Sam, from Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, wants to warn parents of the hidden costs lurking behind games consoles after he was left with a sky-high credit card bill. Sam, 48, had allowed Nik register his credit card details to cover the £5.99 monthly subscription fee so he could play X-Box Live with classmates online. However, unbeknown to Sam, his card details were stored in the machine and his son was able to buy ‘Microsoft Points’ - an online currency which allows players to unlock new features in their favourite games - without having to enter a password. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next Lonely gamer creates virtual girlfriend who reacts to every... Share this article Share The youngster thought he had earned the points for scoring goals and killing villains and he used these to add extra weapons for his soldier in hit game Call of Duty and players in football game Fifa. Between December and June this year Nik spent a wallet-busting £1,150. In one marathon gaming session Nik spent £100 in a single day on weapons and extra features after playing Call of Duty with his online friends. Sam only realised what was happening when he tried with use his card to withdraw some cash - and was told he had insufficient funds. Innocent: Nikhil Ghera did not realise he was using money and instead believed he was using points he'd won in games He was horrified when he realised his own son was responsible for the credit card bill. Sam has now lodged a complaint with the computer giant Microsoft - which owns X-Box Live - and is demanding the company makes its charging policy clearer for parents. He said: 'I went to the bank to take some money out with my credit card but the machine said I had insufficient funds. 'I was standing there thinking that I’d been hacked in to, but the bank came back saying they were legitimate charges. 'When I went through my statement I saw that they were charges for XBox Live. 'I didn’t even know that it was storing my information, and even if that thought had entered my head I would have thought there would be something in place so it wasn’t so easy to spend money. 'With sites like eBay and iTunes it always asks you for a password before you make a purchase. 'But with Xbox Live you just press a button and then your money’s gone. I contacted Microsoft but six months down the line they’re still saying they’re looking into it. 'I’m waiting for them to get back to me.' Cash-strapped: Every time Nik clicked on improving his characters, he was actually draining funds from his dad Sam's bank account Funds: Sam's bank statement showing charges debited from his account by X-Box Live

Council worker Sam, is now warning other parents to monitor their children's X-Box Live accounts.

He claimed that Microsoft is aware of the problem, adding: 'He didn’t realise he was using money, he thought he was using points he’d won in games.

'He didn’t realise it was costing real money.

'An apology would be nice but I’m more interested in having this problem stopped so that we as parents can stop our kids from making payments on our cards.

'I think it’s a big problem, I’ve spoken to other parents and parents online who’ve had the same happen to them.

'I would have thought they’d be a bit more helpful with parents but once they’ve got the money they just say "it’s not our problem".'

Under the terms of the service, children have to be 13 to play but younger kids can do so 'with parental consent'.

A Microsoft spokesman said: 'Throughout the purchase of any digital product on the Xbox LIVE service there are multiple opportunities where consumers are asked to confirm their purchases.

The price is clearly displayed on the screen throughout this process, it should also be noted that Xbox LIVE accounts registered for children’s use have online activity automatically defaulted to off, and these can be enabled should the parents wish to in the family settings section.



'These settings include specifying the email address to which all purchase notifications are sent and using other features, such as “over the shoulder approval,” that allows the account holder to give permission for purchases by typing in the password. We remain committed to working with the customer to help them further and offer guidance on the many control settings we offer on Xbox LIVE.



'The online safety of our members remains of the utmost importance, which is why we consistently take measures to protect Xbox LIVE against ever-changing threats.