Microsoft 'Targeting Kids,' Mom Says After Hack

A Canadian woman whose son was the victim of an Xbox hack says Microsoft refused to offer any assistance in the matter. Instead, it was the game's publisher, Electronic Arts (EA), that offered to compensate Jennifer Stubbs for the hack.

Stubbs' 11-year-old son Dylan recently alerted his mother to some strange activity on his Xbox Live account. Upon further review, it appeared someone had hacked her son's account and purchased about $300 in virtual goods.

Hacker Access Account, Makes Purchases

"I wasn't aware that these purchases were happening," Stubbs said. "Someone had gone into our device remotely." (Source: cbc.ca)

In addition, the legitimate purchases made by Stubbs' son for the soccer game FIFA 13 were all gone.

When she contacted Microsoft about the problem, Stubbs said she was stonewalled. Stubbs says Microsoft told her that all sales are final and refused to offer a refund.

That left Stubbs very upset. "It's big business," she said.

"They are targeting the kids, especially under 13. The kids think this is the best thing since sliced bread, so I feel that they are targeting the kids and getting their parents to pay more and more and more into a digital [player] add-on system."

Microsoft Promises Security Improvements

When contacted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which recently investigated the story, Microsoft refused to comment on the matter. However, the firm did say it was working hard to improve Xbox Live security.

"In this industry, security is an ongoing challenge and we are working every day to bring new forms of protection to Xbox Live," the company said in a statement. (Source: gamepolitics.com)

In the end, EA, the company that publishes the FIFA series, agreed to restore Dylan's lost purchases. However, his Mom remains on the hook for the $300 in virtual goods purchased by the hackers.

"I tell every parent that I know what has happened to us," noted Stubbs. "I am now cautious of anything to do with the Xbox."