A local mother shares her nightmare story after her young son accidentally accumulates thousands of dollars in online charges while playing video games on his iPad.

Jennifer, the mother, decided to seek help from the Turn to Tara investigation team after discovering the unexpected charges. Her son, Joey, an 8-year-old avid gamer, unknowingly made the purchases for virtual characters and coins in games like Stumble Guys and Brawl Stars.

It all started shortly after Thanksgiving when Jennifer received a call from her credit card company alerting her to suspicious spending activity totaling almost $4,000. Upon further investigation, she realized the charges were made for virtual items within the games Joey was playing.

The situation became emotionally challenging for Jennifer, especially during the holiday season, as her son expressed remorse and wished for forgiveness as his Christmas gift. Despite Jennifer's efforts to request a refund directly from the video game apps and Apple, she faced hurdles due to the companies' terms and conditions.

Turning to Turn to Tara for assistance, Jennifer sought help in resolving the issue. After reaching out to the video game company and Apple, they eventually received refunds for nearly all of Joey's video game purchases, bringing immense relief to the family.

To prevent similar incidents, the Turn to Tara team advises parents to carefully read the fine print when downloading apps, disable in-app purchases or require a password for every purchase, and educate children about virtual currency and real money distinctions. Additionally, you are encouraged to file complaints with relevant authorities if unfair practices are suspected.

For those facing similar issues, Turn to Tara offers assistance through their features section on News12.com under the Turn to Tara tab.