Easier for children to use parents' credit cards online
Recent studies reveal that huge numbers of children are using their parents' credit cards to purchase things online without their parents' knowledge.
It's all too easy for children to use parents' credit cards online
They are not dealing with hard currency so it doesn't feel real like an actual theft.”
The research also shows that when children use their parents' credit cards online they do not realise they are committing a criminal offence.
Michael Lynch, a fraud expert for life assistance company CPP has described the attitude of children regarding credit card fraud as being like taking money "out of the sweet jar".
He also said that it might even make children feel less guilty than stealing from a "spare coin" or "sweet money" jar.
He said: “They are not dealing with hard currency so it doesn't feel real like an actual theft.
“Nowadays it is much easier for them to take money from credit cards.”
The fraud expert also said that in some cases children are spending as much as £150 before being detected. A study made by his company into the problem showed that 23% of children are buying items online without their parent’s permission.
In these cases many parents seem entirely unaware of the issue and 95% of adults surveyed said it was "impossible" that their children could have done this.
Theft in the family
With one in every five children secretly buying things online it’s surprising that parents are not more aware of the phenomenon.
Figures show that the average child, between eight and 16 years old admits that they make around seven online purchases a year using their parents' cards and the average spend is £25 each time.
Some spend even more money, with 5% of the children in the study spending between £75 and £150 each time they use their parents' cards.
The reason this goes on undetected is because only 6% of the parents believe that their children have access to their credit card details and credit card fraud divisions don’t pick up on any inconsistencies.
This is because goods are delivered to the correct address and all of the correct information is entered.
Seven in ten children surveyed knew which websites their parents like to shop at and a fifth also know their parents usernames and passwords.
Incredibly, three quarters of all the children in the study said they could use the internet without supervision while only one quarter of the parents said that was the case.
Keeping tabs
Bookmarks are also a culprit, with parents adding their shopping sites to their ‘favourites’ lists which gives their children extra easy access to their store accounts.
44% of parents do this and a third of all parents also save their credit card details online for future purchases.
"We are urging parents to be very vigilant with their bank card details, which may check any illicit temptation to shop online,” Lynch said.
“Being lax with details online could not only tempt children into making sneaky purchases online, but also expose parents to the dangers of online fraud.”
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