Boy borrows parents credit card to embark on four-day holiday to Bali by himself

[steve2470]

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/warnings/boy-borrows-parents-credit-card-to-embark-on-fourday-holiday-to-bali-by-himself/news-story/849359a4fe18292b6334bd383952e98a

THE mother of a 12-year-old boy who stole her credit card and flew by himself to Bali has lashed back at accusations she is a bad parent, saying “we didn’t fail … people failed us”.

The boy, who gave the name of Drew, made international headlines after he brazenly took mum Emma’s credit card and used it to buy flights to Bali, where he stayed for days before being caught.

Drew flew with Jetstar from Sydney to Perth, and then boarded an international flight to Bali’s Denpasar airport, after two unsuccessful attempts to fly with Qantas and Garuda Airlines.

Once in Bali, the 12-year-old managed to check into a hotel, hire and ride a scooter and drink beer on the beach while his parents back in Sydney searched desperately for him.

[Scurrilous]

1. That kid is going places...

[steve2470]

3. smart young trouble-maker, for sure

I hope he uses his brains and talents for good in life He tried this before and apparently his passport was supposed to be locked down, per parental request. Someone or something dropped the ball.

eta: Spoke too soon. Hmm...

The Australian Border Force and AFP said it had never flagged Drew’s passport and were unaware of the 12-year-old, despite allegedly being involved in his previous two attempts with Garuda and Qantas.

[Generic Brad]

25. Hes like kudzu

[NCTraveler]

30. For the new kids.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x4465947

[malaise]

35. Agree

A little worried about stealing mom's credit card and the beer drinking, but he's adventurous - must have been tired of seeing all those ads to Bali

[RandomAccess]

36. No, he's already been!

What incredible pluck! And adventurousness.

[Demovictory9]

39. lol. yeah

[MineralMan]

2. Quite the enterprising lad, isn't he?

[Orsino]

4. "Son, have you considered the benefits of joining the Heritage Foundation?" n/t

[Snotcicles]

13. Lol.nt

[struggle4progress]

5. ... the boy did some research online and figured out he could fly alone

without needing a letter from a parent on Jetstar Airways. He nabbed his mom's credit card, tricked his grandmother into giving him his passport, took a train to the airport, and flew to Bali. “They just asked for my student ID and passport to prove that I’m over 12 and that I’m in secondary school," says the boy ... Her son had actually tried this stunt twice before, only to be turned away at the airport by Qantas and Garuda Airlines. Mom says she was informed her son's passport would be flagged by federal authorities as a result, but that apparently never happened ...

http://wreg.com/2018/04/24/12-year-old-steals-credit-card-flies-to-bali-after-fight-with-mom/

[uponit7771]

46. Ah , so one of the systems on Oz failed to flag him

[Blue_Tires]

55. How the hell does a 12-year-old check into a hotel?

[lpbk2713]

6. He's bound to have some good social engineering skills.

They will serve him well in life.

[poboy2]

7. Angling for Pruitt's job? -nt

[struggle4progress]

8. ... The family had previously visited Bali on holiday and Emma said

her son had already tried to book flights there on his own but had been knocked back by airlines because he did not have a letter from her ... The Australian Federal Police said they were first notified that the boy might try to leave the country on March 8, before being told he might be in Bali on March 17 ... The federal police said an alert to prevent international travel had not been placed on the boy, and it did not have the power to cancel or request the cancellation of a passport if there were no suspicions of crimes committed ... Jetstar told Channel Nine the airline had since changed its procedures to prevent children over 12 from travelling without parental permission ...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/24/australian-boy-12-runs-away-bali-using-family-credit-card/

[struggle4progress]

9. ... Telling his family he was going to school, he rode his razor scooter to his local train station,

from where he travelled to the airport and, using a self-service check-in terminal, boarded a flight for Perth, then another for Indonesia, the Nine Network program reported. He was only quizzed once, at Perth airport, when staff asked him for identification to prove he was over 12. Guardian Australia has independently confirmed the boy made the trip ... After his school reported he was absent, his family scrambled to find out where he was. Discovering he was in Bali, his mother, Emma, flew there to collect him. Emma said the boy doesn’t like hearing the word “no” ...

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/apr/23/boy-12-steals-credit-card-and-goes-on-bali-holiday-after-fight-with-mother

[lkinwi]

10. Im trying to imagine what my father would have done. 🤯🤕

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

16. I would have been grounded until I was 40.

[lkinwi]

23. I would have gotten more than grounding. Lol

But the worst for me would have been how disappointed my parents would have been.

[Blue_Tires]

56. I would have been sent away to military academy

[Dave Starsky]

26. My Dad would have admitted he thought it was kinda funny.

Right after he and my Mom dumped my body in the river that night.

[catbyte]

51. ...

[struggle4progress]

11. ... We were told it just wouldnt happen. He wouldnt get past any airport personnel,

Drew’s nan told A Current Affair ... Drew locked himself in his hotel room but the officers unscrewed the window and took him to the police station — where he wasn’t under arrest. Drew’s parents then had 24 hours to make it to the police station in Bali — the legal amount of time someone not facing criminal charges is allowed to be held ... “I got a hug off Dad but Mum didn’t do anything, she was angry,” the 12-year-old said ...

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/warnings/boy-borrows-parents-credit-card-to-embark-on-fourday-holiday-to-bali-by-himself/news-story/849359a4fe18292b6334bd383952e98a

[struggle4progress]

12. ... Bali was the first time someone asked him if he was alone. Immigration said where is your mum

and all Drew said was she was waiting outside. Not a problem as the entry visa stamp was placed in his passport ... They raced over to get him but not before they were stopped by Jetstar in Perth and told they couldn’t go on because they didn’t have a return ticket ... As for Drew, he is now a little embarrassed about ... the $8000 of mum and dad’s money he spent ...

https://www.9news.com.au/national/2018/04/23/15/15/runaway-rascal-boy-steals-family-credit-card-for-bali-flight

[struggle4progress]

14. ... "I know I'll get in a lot of trouble next time," he said.

http://www.kake.com/story/38029521/boy-says-he-used-parents-credit-cards-to-go-on-bali-getaway-after-argument-with-mom

[avebury]

15. It just boggles the mind.

Since he is not my child you have to admit that, to some degree, it is pretty funny.

But, on the serious side, if he were my child I would be so furious that I would have insisted on criminal charges being pressed for the theft of and use of the credit card. I would fight the credit card company for any charges put on the card by the boy. Actions - meet consequences.

It is clear, that with the level on ingenuity the kid has, they need to lock up everything and keep a close eye on the kid.

[spooky3]

18. Why don't the parents take more responsibility? Can't they notify the credit card companies of

the names of authorized users and can't they take the child's passport from him, rather than blame the airlines alone? This story, which reported that he had tried similar stunts in the past, does not make sense.

Sounds as if the family needs counseling.

[Tipperary]

22. You would criminally charge your child?

Whoa.

[avebury]

37. Yes. I have been in a similar situation like this.

i had a roommate with the kid from hell to put it mildly. The kid went from one disaster to another to another with no end in sight, including a ride on Con-Air, time is State Prison, total lack of responsibility, running up debt like there was no tomorrow, and so on. The kid's mother lived in Ohio and his father worked out of state so the kid was dumped on me. So yeah, I have no patience for putting up with this kind of crap.

The straw that broke the camel's back was when he talked his dad into letting him trade in his vehicle and getting dad to co-sign on a 5 year loan. I told his dad that he was stupid and that he would end up being responsible for paying the loan. The kid had already suckered him into numerous really bad decisions and this was just one more. I moved out and left them to deal with the inevitable disaster that was totally predictable. The kid was on probation and I can tell you that he was well on his way to ending up being charged with passing hot checks. With no money in the bank he kept writing checks and would throw out the bank notices. I talked to the bank and told them that they needed to have a come to Jesus talk with the kid about where the situation was heading. As a former loan review officer it boggled my mind that the bank hadn't started to refuse to honor the bad checks.

So would I turn my child into the police? Based upon my experience with this kid, YES! Nothing to think about, I would never allow myself to be put in a similar position ever again.

[Demsrule86]

49. I would never turn in my kids...

Luckily they are pretty good...the youngest one spent to much on my credit card and Amazon too but seems to have learned her lesson.

[steve2470]

33. I agree with all you said except for the criminal charges

I understand the sentiment but wow, that's as harsh as it comes with kids. Granted, it's juvenile charges which can be expunged in the USA (no clue about Australia) but now the kid has a record. A record that has to be expunged if he ever wants to work for the FBI or CIA or any kind of sensitive security job, from what I know.

It looks like mom was the one who dropped the ball, unless Australia's police forces are lying or mistaken (which is theoretically possible I guess).

[malaise]

50. Nah - I'd make him repay me

pocket money for years and summer jobs.

[Crunchy Frog]

17. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie.

[steve2470]

19. "Superbad in Bali"

for reference: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0829482/

[genxlib]

20. This has the makings of a movie

Not Home Alone

[blugbox]

42. Credit Card??

You got it!!

[B2G]

21. I would have been happy to chaperone. nt

[MiniMe]

24. Is he related to the Cheeto?

Sounds like something he would do.

How did he get on the plane without a passport? And how did he get through customs in Bali?

[spooky3]

29. The story said he had a passport.

I don't understand why the parents don't take it away from him. They could put it in a safe or bank safety deposit box.

[steve2470]

34. apparently his grandma had it or knew where it was

Safe deposit box is a good idea, or just revoking it unless she has a really compelling reason to take him out of Australia.

[LisaL]

38. The point is, why didn't they put kid's passport where he couldn't get to it?

They knew in advance he was trying to book a ticket. If he stole the credit card number, why didn't they cancelled the credit card? Seems like mother is blaming everybody but herself for his behavior.

[Phentex]

40. Nobody in my house can ever find anything!

If they can't find the mustard in the fridge, I doubt they'd ever find the passports.

[steve2470]

41. yes good points nt

[Phoenix61]

27. Some friends of mine took their 8 month old daughter to the pediatrician

Sweet little thing had figured out how to walk a couple of weeks before that. The doc asked them if they wanted the good news or the bad news first. They opted for the good news which was "she's advanced for her age." The bad news? "You're the parents." Sounds like these parents have one of those. I wish them and him all the best.

[spooky3]

28. LOL! nt

[Historic NY]

31. He was looking for a "Bali high"

[Codeine]

32. Helpless parents who feign an inability

to control their children are pathetic and useless.

[ProudLib72]

43. Whatever! I'm rooting for the kid

Precocious little whippersnapper, I like him.

[dembotoz]

44. Safe to say my credit limit would prevent this

[smirkymonkey]

45. Wonder how he's going to fast talk his way out of this one?

[uponit7771]

47. After giving him a hug & pissed off for a while & calmed down I would like to know what he learned

He would have to write a book for me that would have been a cost

[Demsrule86]

48. My daughter (college) had one of my credit cards for 'emergencies'...well she had $3,000

worth of emergencies in six weeks...thus she now has a reloadable visa card with strict limits from Mom.

[Ferrets are Cool]

52. A reverse Home Alone movie. nt

[Blue_Tires]

54. He'd better live it up because he's getting the belt when he comes back

His old man needs to tear his ass to shreds and make him sit in a tub of rubbing alcohol afterwards...