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Father loses job over 9-year-old spending $118,000 on Minecraft YouTube ads using his company's credit card — 'I’m going to be working until I’m like 94,' refuses to set up GoFundMe or put up crypto coin to help repay massive bill

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Why This Matters

This story highlights how easily a child can rack up massive unauthorized charges on ad platforms using a parent's saved payment info, exposing gaps in platform safeguards and corporate credit card controls. It's a cautionary tale for tech companies about parental controls, ad spending verification, and for consumers about securing financial information from kids' devices.

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Amazon Kids Parental Control App — This story is a stark reminder to lock down device and payment access before handing kids a tablet or phone. Parental control tools let you set screen time limits, block in-app purchases, and monitor spending so a curious kid can't rack up a five-figure ad bill. It's a small step that could save families from a financial nightmare like this one.

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A 9-year-old Minecraft player called MightyMikePLays67 unknowingly spent a massive $118,000 on their dad’s company credit card to promote their YouTube channel. The father, Dave, gave a lengthy update on the YouTube channel, saying he’s lost his job and has to pay the amount within 30 days.

Interestingly, he’s had no issues with losing work, saying that “jobs come and go. I’ve worked my whole life; I’ll find another job… I’ve got two hands, I’m healthy, I’m capable of working. So, if losing my job was the worst that came out of this, I’d honestly probably be okay.” Unfortunately, he’s still on the hook for the massive bill, and it's gotten to the point where he and his wife are talking about selling their home to help pay for it.

Despite the depressing development, Dave and Mike were still about to joke around a bit about it. After Dave thanked his son for bringing him some water, Mike answered, “67.” He then asked, “Mike, do you even know what 67 means?”

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To which the kid replied, “To say the least, I do not know what it means, but I think it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just something that makes people laugh and smile.”

The dad then replied, “Yeah, I would have to agree with that, Mike. Actually, I know what 67 means, Mike. That’s how old you’re going to be when you finally have to stop mowing lawns… That’s retirement age for the general public, but not for your old man. After this situation, apparently, I’m going to be working until I’m like 94.”

Interestingly, Dave said that he doesn’t want to accept external help, like setting up a GoFundMe or a crypto coin to help with the bill. “We do not have a Mighty Mike coin. We don’t have a 67 coin. We don’t have any coins. No crypto. We don’t have a GoFundMe. We have no fund raising set up.”

He set up a merch website with 14 different shirt designs that remind people of Mighty Mike’s misadventures, but only three designs are currently available.

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(Image credit: Mighty Mike Plays/YouTube)

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