The addition of Touch ID on phones meant to add peace of mind for consumers. Ideally, this prevents anyone from taking control over a stranger’s phone or — even worse — authorizing purchases from the device. However, one mom learned the hard way that this fingerprint approval can hook you into an unexpected bill, especially if one’s child happens to be as crafty as Bethany Howell’s 6-year-old daughter, Ashlynd.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on this cautionary tale, which culminated with the sounding of alarms at a $250 charge for Pokemon toys on the Howell’s credit card bill. What had happened was both awesome and disturbing, as Ashlynd had grabbed her napping mother’s hand about a week prior to Christmas. She embarked upon her own Amazon shopping spree and went buck wild with Pokemon toys:
“After Ashlynd’s parents received 13 order confirmations for Pokemon items, they initially thought they’d been hacked. No, Mommy, I was shopping. But don’t worry — everything that I ordered is coming straight to the house.”
Yeah, maybe it’s time to switch back to a good, old-fashioned passcode, but Ashlynd will probably figure that out too. Amazon has agreed to refund four of the child’s purchases, but her parents decided to use Santa as a good excuse for the rest: “Well, Santa found out and that is what Santa is going to bring you for Christmas.” Good plan, and they may as well use that excuse while the kid still believes in Santa because it won’t be long before she takes over the world.
(Via Gizmodo & Wall Street Journal)