Boy's Cookie Run ‘hack’ fails, mom billed for THB200,000

[RigPig]

I've read the whole thread and I am sorry, the kid was trying to steal, he knew he was trying to steal and he got caught out.

The software makers wrote the software (which probably took a lot of time and effort) in order to make money, the same reason we ll go to work, they made something that is successful. The game owners are NOT responsible for someone who is trying to steal from them, I would want full compensation.

Dopamine? <deleted> !!

If the kid was on yabba and was stealing from a Mom and Pop shop and got caught would you still want to let him off? If AIS had the kid prosecuted for attempted theft, it would be easier, however in this case he used his mothers phone, with her permission so she is responsible, it is up to her to discipline her child for the crime he attempted to commit. And yes take responsibility, something which is lacking in Thai society.

I would have sympathy if he was younger and / or didn't know what he was doing and it was an accident but by his own admission he was attempting to steal from the owners of the game. The Mother allowed him to play a game which could incur charges and is responsible for such.

Sorry no sympathy from me. Actions / consequences / responsibility...

[RigPig]

"Amporn said AIS agreed to let her pay by installment, but the farmer insisted she cannot afford it."

Once again a Thai parent refuses to take any responsibility for her child's action. What he attempted to do was illegal and in other countries he would have been arrested and charged as a juvenile for attempting to hack into a business' system. He is 12 years-old and should know right from wrong by this age. Due to the fact that he is a minor, his parents are responsible for his illegal actions. It would not have cost her a single baht to supervise her son, know what he was doing, and teach him how to be responsible for his actions. Of course, this being Thailand, male children can do whatever they please and parents do not interfere.

Not only should she be made to pay the bill, but she should be charged interest on the unpaid amount. This would send a message to parents that their parental responsibility does not end with the birth of their children.

The hack wasn't in their servers, it's codes that makes you have a "backdoor" to get more feautures. This isn't applicable to the law as it's the game producers that knowingly has this.

NO, he THOUGHT he had found a backdoor and was tryng to use it to STEAL from the developers..... There was no backdoor and he got lumbered with the bill

[ClutchClark]

They should wipe the bill and put in place a system where the consumer is protected,

Fair enough the boy done the wrong thing but he's only 12 and now you've got a mother who is most likely on computer savvy and a farmer slugged with a bill which is nearly impossible for her to pay.

Agreed ... the software-company ought to have a duty, to check at some point that the person running-up such a large bill is a responsible adult, not just a child. After all, they're the ones extending credit !

What can AIS do ... cut her phone off ?

That should be the end of the matter !

Do adults even play this game? Seems a company that markets this product would be targeting children by design.

[ClutchClark]

I've read the whole thread and I am sorry, the kid was trying to steal, he knew he was trying to steal and he got caught out.

The software makers wrote the software (which probably took a lot of time and effort) in order to make money, the same reason we ll go to work, they made something that is successful. The game owners are NOT responsible for someone who is trying to steal from them, I would want full compensation.

Dopamine? <deleted> !!

If the kid was on yabba and was stealing from a Mom and Pop shop and got caught would you still want to let him off? If AIS had the kid prosecuted for attempted theft, it would be easier, however in this case he used his mothers phone, with her permission so she is responsible, it is up to her to discipline her child for the crime he attempted to commit. And yes take responsibility, something which is lacking in Thai society.

I would have sympathy if he was younger and / or didn't know what he was doing and it was an accident but by his own admission he was attempting to steal from the owners of the game. The Mother allowed him to play a game which could incur charges and is responsible for such.

Sorry no sympathy from me. Actions / consequences / responsibility...

You're joking? He is 12-years old.

One hopes you never had a child.

[Porkster]

"Amporn said AIS agreed to let her pay by installment, but the farmer insisted she cannot afford it."

Once again a Thai parent refuses to take any responsibility for her child's action. What he attempted to do was illegal and in other countries he would have been arrested and charged as a juvenile for attempting to hack into a business' system. He is 12 years-old and should know right from wrong by this age. Due to the fact that he is a minor, his parents are responsible for his illegal actions. It would not have cost her a single baht to supervise her son, know what he was doing, and teach him how to be responsible for his actions. Of course, this being Thailand, male children can do whatever they please and parents do not interfere.

Not only should she be made to pay the bill, but she should be charged interest on the unpaid amount. This would send a message to parents that their parental responsibility does not end with the birth of their children.

I am more of the opinion that ANY GAME attractive to kids, and that can end up costing such an amount of user fees,

Should not be available online to anyone...

And should it be only telephone usage fees, the phone Co. should install some programs that would raise red flags...

It's called a credit limit or cap

You can tell AIS to cut off your phone when the bill gets to a certain level.

They don't like doing it but can

[Aussieroaming]

My youngest one is 12 and she is a savvy kid..excels at school. But in regards to understanding phone usage and cost she just doesn't get it. To be frank a 12 year old shouldn't be held responsible for phone management and bills, therefore I would not let her use my phone. I try to educate her but she isn't mature enough to manage it..even though she nods her head appropriately when we talk.

[RigPig]

I've read the whole thread and I am sorry, the kid was trying to steal, he knew he was trying to steal and he got caught out.

The software makers wrote the software (which probably took a lot of time and effort) in order to make money, the same reason we ll go to work, they made something that is successful. The game owners are NOT responsible for someone who is trying to steal from them, I would want full compensation.

Dopamine? <deleted> !!

If the kid was on yabba and was stealing from a Mom and Pop shop and got caught would you still want to let him off? If AIS had the kid prosecuted for attempted theft, it would be easier, however in this case he used his mothers phone, with her permission so she is responsible, it is up to her to discipline her child for the crime he attempted to commit. And yes take responsibility, something which is lacking in Thai society.

I would have sympathy if he was younger and / or didn't know what he was doing and it was an accident but by his own admission he was attempting to steal from the owners of the game. The Mother allowed him to play a game which could incur charges and is responsible for such.

Sorry no sympathy from me. Actions / consequences / responsibility...

You're joking? He is 12-years old.

One hopes you never had a child.

3 boys actually, they all knew the difference between right and wrong and learned that their actions involved consequences and took responsibility for them.

People seem to think that because this CRIME involves a software company he should be let off, THEFT is THEFT, it is because he has not been shown there are consequences for his actions and has never had to take responsibility that he did it. If he is not punished he will commit more serious crimes when he grows up expecting not to be held responsible. He knew what he was doing was wrong and still did it, why? Because he has NEVER had to be responsible for his actions.

This attitude is rife through out Thai society, young men beating or shooting their girl friends, knifing members from different schools, taxi drivers producing Samuri swords when the bill isn't paid etc.....

As I said previously "Sorry no sympathy from me. Actions / consequences / responsibility..." for both the boy and the Mother.

[RigPig]

My youngest one is 12 and she is a savvy kid..excels at school. But in regards to understanding phone usage and cost she just doesn't get it. To be frank a 12 year old shouldn't be held responsible for phone management and bills, therefore I would not let her use my phone. I try to educate her but she isn't mature enough to manage it..even though she nods her head appropriately when we talk.

As any responsible parent should, good for you

[wolf5370]

"Amporn said AIS agreed to let her pay by installment, but the farmer insisted she cannot afford it."

Once again a Thai parent refuses to take any responsibility for her child's action. What he attempted to do was illegal and in other countries he would have been arrested and charged as a juvenile for attempting to hack into a business' system. He is 12 years-old and should know right from wrong by this age. Due to the fact that he is a minor, his parents are responsible for his illegal actions. It would not have cost her a single baht to supervise her son, know what he was doing, and teach him how to be responsible for his actions. Of course, this being Thailand, male children can do whatever they please and parents do not interfere.

Not only should she be made to pay the bill, but she should be charged interest on the unpaid amount. This would send a message to parents that their parental responsibility does not end with the birth of their children.

The hack wasn't in their servers, it's codes that makes you have a "backdoor" to get more feautures. This isn't applicable to the law as it's the game producers that knowingly has this.

Why is that not applicable to the law? Did he have the right to use exploits to access extra content from their servers for free? No. He attempted to use an exploit, that has either been patched or he did it wrong, and got caught out. He attempted to steal service, and got lumbered with the charges. At a minimum he owes the amount outstanding, at a maximum he attempted to miss-use the technology and gain unlawful access and steal what he had no right to - that is theft, and IS applicable to the law (both under the Computer Miss-Use Act and Theft and/or Fraud).

[wolf5370]

My youngest one is 12 and she is a savvy kid..excels at school. But in regards to understanding phone usage and cost she just doesn't get it. To be frank a 12 year old shouldn't be held responsible for phone management and bills, therefore I would not let her use my phone. I try to educate her but she isn't mature enough to manage it..even though she nods her head appropriately when we talk.

My kids have a rule. They do not download anything - if they want something they talk to me and I decide and download it for them if OK. They have no online store accounts. They have tablets and laptops for games and homework; and phones for phoning, texting, taking photos, BBM etc. They do not need to have games on their phones too.

[LloydD]

But she was not being a responsible parent insofar as she was not controlling what the kid was doing.

Yes there should be a system in place to prevent such an event but not knowing what your kid is doing is a dereliction of her parental responsibilities.

If this kid goes on this way he will by the time he is 15-16 be an absolute little ar$ehole and running loose not attending school, raping, drinking, fighting etc.

Most retarded thing I've ever heard. And that was before I got to the rape thing.

[Jonmarleesco]

Better send him out to work, then. Perhaps he can find a job hacking legally.

[sumtingwong]

Never let a kid use your phone. If they just have to have a phone, put parent controls on what they can do with it.

[The Deerhunter]

AIS billing system clearly has issues. 1) should not have sent out bill until deep investigation ( this is abnormal bill ) 2) credit contol should have locked off the SIM if hit credit limit

Would advise customer their liability is the agreed credit limit

AIS further screwed things asking customer to pay - LOL

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

On my DTAC card is a limit of 2000 Baht per month.

That is peace of mind for me: Something wrong with the phone and it pushes the Gigabytes.....

My phone got stolen and the thief calls his grandmother in Nigeria with my SIM

I get addicted to cookie run and want to pay all my salary for cookies...

everything max 2000 Baht

Why Nigeria, pray tell?

??????????????? &lt;deleted&gt;

[dinger]

The original article states that the boy admits to unknowingly buying items to advance in the game. How does someone admit to doing something that they didn't know they did

[moe666]

"Amporn said AIS agreed to let her pay by installment, but the farmer insisted she cannot afford it."

Once again a Thai parent refuses to take any responsibility for her child's action. What he attempted to do was illegal and in other countries he would have been arrested and charged as a juvenile for attempting to hack into a business' system. He is 12 years-old and should know right from wrong by this age. Due to the fact that he is a minor, his parents are responsible for his illegal actions. It would not have cost her a single baht to supervise her son, know what he was doing, and teach him how to be responsible for his actions. Of course, this being Thailand, male children can do whatever they please and parents do not interfere.

Not only should she be made to pay the bill, but she should be charged interest on the unpaid amount. This would send a message to parents that their parental responsibility does not end with the birth of their children.

Your joking right, how many children do you have and if you have children how many minutes of the day are you actually watching them to insure their total compliance with your firm hand hehehehehehehe

[Aussieroaming]

Look, I think this whole hacking issue is very poorly understood . As I said my daughter isn't mature enough to manage an account.

However it's my 15 year old son that supposedly "hacks". Like many kids his age he plays his games with passion and he turns to youtube for inspiration in ways to beat the game. Us adults might understand the legal implications but he doesn't see it as hacking, he sees only a youtube video that shows alternate ways to beat a game. Up until this point I've never actually thought that his methods might be construed as illegal.

So I think parents as well as kids need some help to understand the difference between a youtube tip and paid hacking. This kids mom probably thought he was busting the game for free..

Poor them

[Bluespunk]

The original article states that the boy admits to unknowingly buying items to advance in the game. How does someone admit to doing something that they didn't know they did

He thought his hack had worked and he was getting them for free I would guess.

[RigPig]

Look, I think this whole hacking issue is very poorly understood . As I said my daughter isn't mature enough to manage an account.

However it's my 15 year old son that supposedly "hacks". Like many kids his age he plays his games with passion and he turns to youtube for inspiration in ways to beat the game. Us adults might understand the legal implications but he doesn't see it as hacking, he sees only a youtube video that shows alternate ways to beat a game. Up until this point I've never actually thought that his methods might be construed as illegal.

So I think parents as well as kids need some help to understand the difference between a youtube tip and paid hacking. This kids mom probably thought he was busting the game for free..

Poor them

I do understand what you are saying, but if the child is old enough to understand the difference between right and wrong, and KNOWS he/she is doing wrong, then there should be consequences when they don't get away with it.

Kids will always "feel" the boundaries, but they have to know what happens when they cross the line, sometimes for their own safety and well being (chasing a ball on to the road for example). They may not understand why but if they know they will be punished if they do it they will fear the consequences too much to do it. I would (and did) rather smack my child than see him get run over for not thinking or understanding. Even a 3 year old will comprehend that, actions and consequences.

The only reason we don't have anarchy is because people fear the consequences of their actions (most of the time). It's the reason why Thais don't wear motor bike helmets, but you would not consider not wearing one in Australia. They don't fear the consequences (as with many things). Can you imagine what a photo of a police officer riding his bike without a helmet would do in Australia (and many other Western countries), yet here it is common place. I personally think a law people don't obey is a bad law. But if you are going to have a law it should be enforced and to the extent that people fear the consequences enough not to break the law.

I do feel that to some degree AIS are culpable, but if they let this kid off they will have to do it for every other person that cries foul, and ultimately it is not their job to protect you from your own stupidity, isn't that for Buddha?

[skippybangkok]

AIS considers this child's case a loophole. It has marked the account "paid" and is installing account monitoring for these games.

Sure, after the social media outcry.

I vaguely recall them offering the poor woman an instalment plan to pay of the 200k

[hullupullo]

This thing was on ch7 news, more bills like 58 000b and 83 000b. Next one? ~600 000 baht.

[lumply]

They should wipe the bill and put in place a system where the consumer is protected,

Fair enough the boy done the wrong thing but he's only 12 and now you've got a mother who is most likely on computer savvy and a farmer slugged with a bill which is nearly impossible for her to pay.

His age should not count as a free pass for non payment of the bill. Otherwise everyone would be trying it on.

[Torrens54]

"Amporn said AIS agreed to let her pay by installment, but the farmer insisted she cannot afford it."

Once again a Thai parent refuses to take any responsibility for her child's action. What he attempted to do was illegal and in other countries he would have been arrested and charged as a juvenile for attempting to hack into a business' system. He is 12 years-old and should know right from wrong by this age. Due to the fact that he is a minor, his parents are responsible for his illegal actions. It would not have cost her a single baht to supervise her son, know what he was doing, and teach him how to be responsible for his actions. Of course, this being Thailand, male children can do whatever they please and parents do not interfere.

Not only should she be made to pay the bill, but she should be charged interest on the unpaid amount. This would send a message to parents that their parental responsibility does not end with the birth of their children.

Wow! aren't you a nice bit of work? Sure the kid was in the wrong but it all stems from GREED on the part of AIS.

We can only gather that you were a Perfect Child, or maybe you are still a child, you certainly sound like a petulant little fellow!

[maake55555]

"Amporn said AIS agreed to let her pay by installment, but the farmer insisted she cannot afford it."

Once again a Thai parent refuses to take any responsibility for her child's action. What he attempted to do was illegal and in other countries he would have been arrested and charged as a juvenile for attempting to hack into a business' system. He is 12 years-old and should know right from wrong by this age. Due to the fact that he is a minor, his parents are responsible for his illegal actions. It would not have cost her a single baht to supervise her son, know what he was doing, and teach him how to be responsible for his actions. Of course, this being Thailand, male children can do whatever they please and parents do not interfere.

Not only should she be made to pay the bill, but she should be charged interest on the unpaid amount. This would send a message to parents that their parental responsibility does not end with the birth of their children.

Once again a farang who lives in Thailand who does not understand a thing about Thailand. The mother was a farmer, she bought the kid a phone not knowing how the thing works much less supervising his use of it. The kid being a kid was trying out his new phone not knowing much about it himself, but enough to cause the mischief. I say the company is wrong letting a bill that large be run up. I agree with the other op throw the thing away and forget about it or just forget about the payment. Not only do you give bad advise, you are wrong. May knowledge be with you. Cheers.

[maake55555]

Jokers do come out to play in this kind of situation. A company that is demanding with no understanding of the customers they serve should get a little knowledge by being denied payment. It is they who should be the demons in this matter.

[Puschl]

If you put "cookie run" in the Google toolbar, one of the additional keywords it suggests is "hack", and if you google "cookie run hack", one of the top hits is a youtube video showing a 'hack tool' that pretends to give you in-game currency for free. I haven't researched further, and I don't know if the "hack" referred to in the OP is the same, but my gut feeling is that whoever provided that tool is the true culprit in this story.

Also, Line Corp. deserves a big share in the blame for providing such an addictive game clearly geared at kids. Why the hell are Jump&Run games still so popular, even though they provide no intellectual stimulus. They do get your adrenaline level up and put you in trance - that maybe the reason.

Not saying the kid and his mother don't deserve a slap on the wrist - but a THB200k slap seems harsh indeed.

I'm tempted to call AIS an innocent bystander. However: they granted the lady (unlimited?) credit - most likely without collateral.

Five culprits, and only two are currently in trouble. Lets hope they will share reasonably.

[englishoak]

This isn't hacking, that was the wrong word used by the boy. He was exploiting a glitch within a game that nets him no monetary gain in the real world, not a crime.

WRONG he was stealing (or trying to steal) from the software company, intellectual rights etc. They put the effort in and made a successful game why should someone steal the rewards for their efforts. He knew what he was doing.

I am sure you would feel different if it was coming out of your pocket.

Is it OK for 12 year old kids to shoplift at the local store? Same thing.....

Intellectual rights maybe but they are also making it too easy to spend and they know their market target are juveniles.

You are sitting there telling us the child understands internet protocol and intellectual rights... i doubt if even the parents know what intellectual rights are let alone a kid here.

Since when do Thai schools educate about the internet and laws or for that matter anything else regarding laws.

I helped moderate a game that kids play on and there has to be a credit card purchase with lots of other fail safe checks against parents being billed for the kids use of their credit card. Kids have no concept of money and liability. This gaming co know exactly how its occurred and how it pulls in revenue from minors via a telephone bill.

This hack is a flaw in game development which should and could have been patched immediately a long long time ago... funny they havnt bothered, i wonder why.. Its an exploitive marketing system targeting juveniles that do not understand the implications... and they know it.

AIS should be throwing the bill right back at Line corp and writing the bill to the family off, you can bet they have already learnt their lesson and the kid probably spanked blue.

Edited June 23, 2014 by englishoak

[doctorproc156]

This is exactly why you should just stick to a pre-paid plan, especially if you let your kids use it...

[RigPig]

This isn't hacking, that was the wrong word used by the boy. He was exploiting a glitch within a game that nets him no monetary gain in the real world, not a crime.

WRONG he was stealing (or trying to steal) from the software company, intellectual rights etc. They put the effort in and made a successful game why should someone steal the rewards for their efforts. He knew what he was doing.

I am sure you would feel different if it was coming out of your pocket.

Is it OK for 12 year old kids to shoplift at the local store? Same thing.....

Intellectual rights maybe but they are also making it too easy to spend and they know their market target are juveniles.

You are sitting there telling us the child understands internet protocol and intellectual rights... i doubt if even the parents know what intellectual rights are let alone a kid here.

Since when do Thai schools educate about the internet and laws or for that matter anything else regarding laws.

I helped moderate a game that kids play on and there has to be a credit card purchase with lots of other fail safe checks against parents being billed for the kids use of their credit card. Kids have no concept of money and liability. This gaming co know exactly how its occurred and how it pulls in revenue from minors via a telephone bill.

This hack is a flaw in game development which should and could have been patched immediately a long long time ago... funny they havnt bothered, i wonder why.. Its an exploitive marketing system targeting juveniles that do not understand the implications... and they know it.

AIS should be throwing the bill right back at Line corp and writing the bill to the family off, you can bet they have already learnt their lesson and the kid probably spanked blue.

I would agree with the majority of what you say, except the kid knew he was stealing or at least doing something wrong, if he didn't then the parents are to blame. The problem was there was no loop hole in the software, that's why he was charged for it, the YouTube Video was a hoax. He was stealing and got caught out, maybe because of ignorance, but he knew what he was doing was trying to get something that should be paid for for free and he shouldn't do it.

I have said before that I believe to a certain extent AIS are culpable, but the reality of it is they probably knew nothing about it until they received the bill from Line, and they have to honour their contract. Now others are coming out of the wood work, how far do you go. If this was a complete misunderstanding I would agree with you but it wasn't, he was stealing and now you think AIS should foot the bill (and all the other bills)?

Google own YouTube and are more guilty for allowing a video on line that shows people how to steal, if anyone should pay, other than the people involved, it should be Google for helping encourage people to break the law.

[surangw]

Quite amazed their credit control system did not shut it off..... Looks like AIS has a serious issue with their billing system

maybe AIS gets a hefty cut