A parent’s story: ‘Our son stole from us, courtesy of PayPal’

The payments service raised no alarm bells when a 17-year-old 'betrayed' his parents by using his father's bank card

This is a cautionary tale that will be of particular interest to the parents of teenagers who, having grown up in a digital age, are over-confident in their use of technology and underestimate the potential dangers of the internet.

My son David is 17, and technology has always been part of his life. As a consequence, nothing fazes him about computers or the internet. He spends most of his time on his computer, primarily for gaming (though he has allegedly studied for his final year school exams, too). He is also (if I'm being honest) a bit immature for his years. And he has just demonstrated extraordinary naivety, courtesy of PayPal.