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Autistic teenager in tears after being conned out of £1,400 of savings on World of Warcraft

Aeolienne

Well-Known Member
(Not written by me)

‘Broken’ autistic teen, 19, left in tears after being conned out of £1,400 savings in World of Warcraft game scam

Josh Smith's mother, Janine, says her son 'couldn't comprehend the idea that someone may have bad intentions'


By Claudia Tanner
Thursday December 6th 2018
  • Josh Smith was hoodwinked into buying extra services for his 'online friend' to use in the game
  • Bank flagged the transactions and his mother explained to him he'd been conned
  • Has now cancelled his World of Warcraft subscription – which he relied on to make friends – and won't play the game anymore
  • Janine Smith says her son 'feels stupid' and will need counselling to cope
Teenager Josh Smith believes everyone is genuine, honest and trustworthy.

So when his mother, Janine, sat him down to explain that his new “online friend” had conned him into forking out £1,400 through a video game, he struggled to accept this was true.

But when he realised it was, the tears came thick and fast for the 19-year-old.

“Josh just thinks everyone is like him and he couldn’t comprehend the idea that someone may have bad intentions,” said Janine, 42, from Nutley [nr Uckfield], East Sussex.

He’s been left broken by this. He said his faith in humanity had been lost
Janine Smith


“He just kept saying you’re wrong, he’s my friend he wouldn’t scam me. Then once he knew that this was the case he just fell apart. He’s been left broken by this. He said his faith in humanity had been lost.”

It prompted his mother to launch a GoFundMe appeal to ask strangers to restore that faith – and Josh is now “overwhelmed” after more than £600 has rolled in.

Making friends is difficult

Josh was diagnosed with autism when he was two-and-a-half years old. “I have an older child and knew that he was behind in reaching milestones – making eye contact and learning to walk,” said Janine.

“We had a birthday party for him when he was three and that was the last one ever. He really struggled with sensory overload from the noise of all the children and had a melt down.”

Indeed, the World of Warcraft game has offered Josh an escape and way of coping.

“He’s played it since he was about nine. The game provides him with predictability which helps him to make sense of the confusing world he finds himself in.

“Because of his autism making friends is very difficult for Josh so he was very excited to have a new friend.”

Around four weeks ago, this new “friend” convinced Josh to buy £1,400 worth of Blizzard Gift Game Cards and gift them by sending the codes, promising that he or she would pay him back. These cards provide items and services that help a user boost their game.

Janine heard alarm bells when her son asked her for help in making another payment because his bank had flagged up one of the transactions as suspicious.

“Josh is vulnerable because he believes everything people tell him. We’ve been lucky up until now that no-one at school or at college has ever bullied him or taken advantage of him.

“Now he’s cancelled his World of Warcraft subscription and he won’t play the game anymore which he loved doing. It breaks my heart to see him so upset.”

Autistic children ‘more trusting’

Children on the autism spectrum are more trusting than typically developing children, according to a study. A group of young, school-aged children with the disorder and typically developing (TD) peers of the same age participated in a simple hide-and-seek game.

In the game, a researcher who was a stranger to the pupils pointed to or left a marker on a box to indicate the whereabouts of a hidden reward. Results showed that although the autistic children did not blindly trust any information provided by the unfamiliar adult, they appeared to be more trusting in the adult than their peers.


Restoring faith

Janine said she reported the incident to the police but hasn’t heard back. Josh received a £600 refund from his bank but it said it couldn’t reimburse him anymore as he had voluntarily made the payments.

His mother had to go into Josh’s work to explain to his bosses why he “wasn’t himself” and would need extra support.

Josh had been saving up the money to learn how to be independent and manage his own finances.

Janine says her son is now “traumatised” and needs counselling with an autism specialist.

“Josh has worked since he was 16 as a part-time greenkeeper and has recently gone full time,” she said. “He was saving from his salary so that he can pay for his own golf membership, driving lessons and car insurance but now that money is gone.

It’s very touching that over £600 has been raised, it really helps to show him that people can be very kind
Janine Smith


“This has had such a negative effect on his mental health, he feels stupid, vulnerable and violated.

“I wouldn’t normally resort to begging with an online appeal but I can’t afford to refund him. His counselling will cost £50 a session, and anything over he can keep for his own funds. It’s very touching that over £600 has been raised, it really helps to show him that people can be very kind.”

To donate to the appeal, visit here.

Source: iNews
 
This is why I don't game online, not even on Xbox, too many lame brain idiots who pull this crap, fleecing you for every penny.
 
This is why I don't game online, not even on Xbox, too many lame brain idiots who pull this crap, fleecing you for every penny.

I get annoyed with a lot of games nowadays as often it seems gone are the days where a game got released, you bought it and then played it to the end/played it for fun.
Now, if feels like they're releasing half finished games at full price and then making you pay extra for micro-transactions, buying downloadable content, etc. and/or releasing 'alternate/ultimate' versions later that incorporate all the DLC you've already bought and downloaded with a few extras added - with examples I've seen including Saints Row 4 later releasing the Commander in Chief Edition (which just gave us an Uncle Sam outfit, a futuristic jet shaped like an eagle and a giant gun literally called the 'Merica Gun) and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed later releasing the Ultimate Sith Edition (which included collector cards, 15 new outfits, an additional level for the Main Campaign called "Jedi Temple" and two levels following from the non-canon ending where you kill Darth Vader and unwillingly become the Emperor's new apprentice; one on Tatooine during the events of A New Hope and the other on Hoth during the events of The Empire Strikes Back). Furthermore, most of these alternate/ultimate versions are at higher prices.

In regards to the article above, I do feel sorry for the guy. Hope he finds a way to deal with what has happened to him and find a new way to make friends that he's comfortable with.
 
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The game I am playing now is constantly manipulating you into forking out real money in dribs and drabs that can quickly add up. Its not just players doing the conning.
 
It's very sad, but I guess he would have had to learn that lesson anyway, not like he could go his whole life believing what he believed. It's actually a quite harmless way to learn the lesson.
 
It's very sad, but I guess he would have had to learn that lesson anyway, not like he could go his whole life believing what he believed. It's actually a quite harmless way to learn the lesson.

Not quite harmless - £1,400 is a lot of money to lose for many people.
 
Not quite harmless - £1,400 is a lot of money to lose for many people.

I agree completely. In my head, I was comparing it to things like violent crimes and kidnapping. I didn't mean to downplay his problem, especially seeing as he saved up the money, but one of my first thoughts was relief that it didn't require abuse for him "to lose faith in humanity".
 
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I stopped playing a few months or so ago because of how dense the WoW Dev Team has been; Legion was a great Expansion and then there's Battle for Azeroth, which is worse than how Warlords of Draenor was and that's saying something
 
Has now cancelled his World of Warcraft subscription – which he relied on to make friends – and won't play the game anymore
Making friends is difficult
“Because of his autism making friends is very difficult for Josh so he was very excited to have a new friend.”
Around four weeks ago, this new “friend” convinced Josh to buy £1,400 worth of Blizzard Gift Game Cards and gift them by sending the codes, promising that he or she would pay him back.

It would seem (judging by the bits I've quoted, admittedly out of context) that the mother rather bought into the idea of her son finding a "friend" online and didn't see fit to warn him of the dangers of assuming that such a friendship is genuine. Or perhaps she was woefully ignorant of techy issues. It could be a generational thing, I suppose, like my own mother initially seeming surprised at the "never accept a lift on a first date" advice. I had a quick look at the NSPCC's "Net Aware" guide and World of Warcraft is not one of the sites they have reviewed - yet - presumably because it doesn't fall into the category "ones that kids use the most".
 
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It would seem (judging by the bits I've quoted, admittedly out of context) that the mother rather bought into the idea of her son finding a "friend" online and didn't see fit to warn him of the dangers of assuming that such a friendship is genuine. Or perhaps she was woefully ignorant of techy issues. It's a generational thing, I suppose, like my own mother initially seeming surprised at the "never accept a lift on a first date" advice. I had a quick look at the NSPCC's "Net Aware" guide and World of Warcraft is not one of the sites they have reviewed - yet - presumably because it doesn't fall into the category "ones that kids use the most".

No because WOW, like COD, GTA etc, is age rated, officially no one under 18 can play it but they do because of idiot game shop staff who knowingly sell age rated games to Parents of underage kids.
 
The GoFundMe appeal was, in his mother's own words, to "restore Josh's faith in humanity". As it has exceeded its target, does this mean that Josh's restored faith might cause him to make the same mistake again?
 
(Not written by me)

‘Broken’ autistic teen, 19, left in tears after being conned out of £1,400 savings in World of Warcraft game scam

Josh Smith's mother, Janine, says her son 'couldn't comprehend the idea that someone may have bad intentions'


By Claudia Tanner
Thursday December 6th 2018
  • Josh Smith was hoodwinked into buying extra services for his 'online friend' to use in the game
  • Bank flagged the transactions and his mother explained to him he'd been conned
  • Has now cancelled his World of Warcraft subscription – which he relied on to make friends – and won't play the game anymore
  • Janine Smith says her son 'feels stupid' and will need counselling to cope
Teenager Josh Smith believes everyone is genuine, honest and trustworthy.

So when his mother, Janine, sat him down to explain that his new “online friend” had conned him into forking out £1,400 through a video game, he struggled to accept this was true.

But when he realised it was, the tears came thick and fast for the 19-year-old.

“Josh just thinks everyone is like him and he couldn’t comprehend the idea that someone may have bad intentions,” said Janine, 42, from Nutley [nr Uckfield], East Sussex.

He’s been left broken by this. He said his faith in humanity had been lost
Janine Smith


“He just kept saying you’re wrong, he’s my friend he wouldn’t scam me. Then once he knew that this was the case he just fell apart. He’s been left broken by this. He said his faith in humanity had been lost.”

It prompted his mother to launch a GoFundMe appeal to ask strangers to restore that faith – and Josh is now “overwhelmed” after more than £600 has rolled in.

Making friends is difficult

Josh was diagnosed with autism when he was two-and-a-half years old. “I have an older child and knew that he was behind in reaching milestones – making eye contact and learning to walk,” said Janine.

“We had a birthday party for him when he was three and that was the last one ever. He really struggled with sensory overload from the noise of all the children and had a melt down.”

Indeed, the World of Warcraft game has offered Josh an escape and way of coping.

“He’s played it since he was about nine. The game provides him with predictability which helps him to make sense of the confusing world he finds himself in.

“Because of his autism making friends is very difficult for Josh so he was very excited to have a new friend.”

Around four weeks ago, this new “friend” convinced Josh to buy £1,400 worth of Blizzard Gift Game Cards and gift them by sending the codes, promising that he or she would pay him back. These cards provide items and services that help a user boost their game.

Janine heard alarm bells when her son asked her for help in making another payment because his bank had flagged up one of the transactions as suspicious.

“Josh is vulnerable because he believes everything people tell him. We’ve been lucky up until now that no-one at school or at college has ever bullied him or taken advantage of him.

“Now he’s cancelled his World of Warcraft subscription and he won’t play the game anymore which he loved doing. It breaks my heart to see him so upset.”

Autistic children ‘more trusting’

Children on the autism spectrum are more trusting than typically developing children, according to a study. A group of young, school-aged children with the disorder and typically developing (TD) peers of the same age participated in a simple hide-and-seek game.

In the game, a researcher who was a stranger to the pupils pointed to or left a marker on a box to indicate the whereabouts of a hidden reward. Results showed that although the autistic children did not blindly trust any information provided by the unfamiliar adult, they appeared to be more trusting in the adult than their peers.


Restoring faith

Janine said she reported the incident to the police but hasn’t heard back. Josh received a £600 refund from his bank but it said it couldn’t reimburse him anymore as he had voluntarily made the payments.

His mother had to go into Josh’s work to explain to his bosses why he “wasn’t himself” and would need extra support.

Josh had been saving up the money to learn how to be independent and manage his own finances.

Janine says her son is now “traumatised” and needs counselling with an autism specialist.

“Josh has worked since he was 16 as a part-time greenkeeper and has recently gone full time,” she said. “He was saving from his salary so that he can pay for his own golf membership, driving lessons and car insurance but now that money is gone.

It’s very touching that over £600 has been raised, it really helps to show him that people can be very kind
Janine Smith


“This has had such a negative effect on his mental health, he feels stupid, vulnerable and violated.

“I wouldn’t normally resort to begging with an online appeal but I can’t afford to refund him. His counselling will cost £50 a session, and anything over he can keep for his own funds. It’s very touching that over £600 has been raised, it really helps to show him that people can be very kind.”

To donate to the appeal, visit here.

Source: iNews
I'm going to donate £20 sterling because although not formally diagnosed I know how it feels to be easily conned, all too painfully.
WOOPS, no longer accepting donations, but glad to hear that more than his losses were gained.
I hope he doesn't feel its his fault and that he can say what I would say to myself in future "I know I am easily conned so i will double check what I am being offered is genuine" he could use his knowledge of easily being conned to his advantage, by avoiding being conned. Hope that makes sense.
 
I'm going to donate £20 sterling because although not formally diagnosed I know how it feels to be easily conned, all too painfully.
WOOPS, no longer accepting donations, but glad to hear that more than his losses were gained.
I hope he doesn't feel its his fault and that he can say what I would say to myself in future "I know I am easily conned so i will double check what I am being offered is genuine" he could use his knowledge of easily being conned to his advantage, by avoiding being conned. Hope that makes sense.

Good that they made more than they needed, I'd have given them a fiver.
 
Doesn't much matter what one's neurology may be. Criminal scams are so pervasive online and through the phone that parents should be clear to understand the risks and clearly explain them to their children.

X-Files, baby. - "Trust No One".
 
I hope that in addition to counselling, Josh gets some advice about money management. It would be a real shame if he's stuck with a phobia of online transactions as a result of this.
 

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