Teen girl uses mother’s bank details to borrow US$14,000 for Jade Dynasty costumes
- Mother in northeast China discovered spending spree when she tried to withdraw deposit
- Daughter, 16, had applied for loans every day for six months to buy virtual coins, costumes and props for popular video game
A teenage girl in northeast China spent more than 100,000 yuan (US$14,400) on props and costumes for a video game – funded by small loans she took out every day for six months using her mother’s bank account, according to mainland media.
The 16-year-old’s mother discovered the spending spree when she tried to withdraw a deposit of 180,000 yuan from her bank in Shenyang, Liaoning province, Pear Video reported on Thursday.
Chinese boy who stole from grandma for mobile game is paying her back by collecting cardboard
The woman, surnamed Li, was told she only had just over 20,000 yuan available to withdraw because she had applied for numerous small loans – totalling 108,300 yuan plus interest – against the deposit.
Her daughter later admitted she had used her mother’s bank details from a deposit card to apply for loans using her mobile phone, according to the report.
The girl spent the money on virtual coins, costumes and props for Zhu Xian – which is known as Jade Dynasty in the United States – to improve her performance in the popular video game.
“She basically applied for loans every day over the past six months,” Li told the news website, adding the biggest single loan was more than 1,000 yuan and she had dipped into the account three times a day in that period.
“She spent 4,000 [yuanbao] on the most expensive costume,” the woman said, referring to the virtual currency used in the game – which equals 4,000 yuan in real money.
Li said she planned to contact the game developer, Beijing Perfect World Network Technology, for a refund on the grounds that her daughter “is still a child”.
China’s games industry at a turning point amid regulatory crackdown
The value of China’s online gaming market reached 212 billion yuan last year, with 588 million users registered, according to Beijing-based internet data provider Analysys.
But the fast growing industry has drawn criticism, particularly from parents concerned about children becoming addicted to video games. In response, regulators stopped approving new games at the end of March in a bid to cap the number of new releases and limit the time children spend playing them.
The latest case comes after a nine-year-old boy from Taizhou, Zhejiang province reportedly spent more than 120,000 yuan on multiple games using his mother’s mobile phone. The gaming companies refunded most of the money, according to Qianjiang Evening News.
