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A mother has issued a warning after her nine-year-old daughter spent over £1,000 on Roblox, unaware that she was using real money. Emma Bell did not realize her PayPal account was linked to her iPad and had no idea her daughter could make purchases so easily.
Over three months, her daughter Bronwen made 25 transactions on her Roblox account, accumulating more than £1,000 charged to her mother’s bank account. Emma, a mother of three from Quakers Yard, South Wales, has urged other parents to be cautious, as she has been unable to recover the money.
“These Robux [Roblox coins] don’t feel like money to kids. They see them as coins in a game and don’t understand that they cost real money. When buying coins on Roblox, the £199 option is the first one that appears. My daughter had no idea she was selecting the most expensive choice,” Emma explained.
She added, “I felt upset with myself. At first, I hoped to get the money back, but as time passed, I just felt sick and angry that such a large company doesn’t recognize the financial strain this caused me.”
Emma was unaware that PayPal was set as a payment method on her daughter’s iPad. Her daughter managed to spend over £1,000 on the platform, with the most concerning day involving five transactions in one day.
Emma said, “PayPal takes at least a week to transfer money from my bank account, so there was a delay before I noticed the large charges. One day, there were five transactions: one for £199, another for £99, and three for £49.99.”
For weeks, Emma contacted Apple, Roblox, PayPal, and her bank to try to get a refund but has only recovered £78 from Apple. She said, “I called PayPal and asked them to block any further charges. Apple was helpful; I found all the transactions in my Apple account and could request a refund by clicking ‘purchase without consent,’ which gave me some hope.”
However, she received automated declines for all transactions and had to appeal. Apple advised her to contact Roblox and her bank, but she has received no further assistance.
After escalating the issue with Apple, she was refunded £78. Emma said, “I wish these companies had security measures to detect unusual activity and block it. I had bills to pay but no money left in my account, which caused me a lot of distress.”
Emma has since set a password on the iPad and is more vigilant but still feels uncertain because technology changes quickly. She explained, “Previously, my Apple phone was linked to the iPad, so I had to approve any free app downloads. But after switching to a different phone brand at Christmas, I forgot to set parental controls, which I now regret. I’m not great with technology and am a busy working mum trying my best.”
Roblox responded by stating they work with various payment providers to ensure secure purchases and have a strong policy for refunding unauthorized payments. They encourage parents to contact Roblox Customer Support before disputing charges with payment providers, as disputes can prevent refunds.
They also noted that payments made through Apple/iTunes must be refunded through Apple, not Roblox. Roblox highlighted that parents have access to parental controls, including spending limits and notifications, to monitor and manage their children’s spending on the platform.
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