Did a 13yo buy hookers with dad's credit card?

A widely published story that a 13-year-old has been convicted of fraud after stealing his dad's credit card and ordering two prostitutes from an escort agency may be a hoax.

The original story said Ralph Hardy used the card to take his friends on a $US30,000 spending spree that ended with them playing Halo on an Xbox with prostitutes in a Texas motel, according to a Money.co.uk report.

However police from the county where the alleged incident was supposedly took place say the story doesn't stack up.

Newark county police spokeperson Amy Cromer  said, "As far as we know, this story is a hoax. There have not been any arrests here, and we're not aware of any convictions like that in this county."

According to the story police were alerted by a concerned delivery clerk who delivered soft drinks and junk food to the teens' motel room, and were asked by the group where they could find some women and were willing to pay.

They told him they had won a World of Warcraft tournament and wanted to relax.

By the time the police arrived the two $1000-a-night escorts were playing on the Xbox with the boys.

The teens reportedly told the prostitutes they were "people of restricted growth" working in a travelling circus, and couldn't refuse them because it would be discriminating against the disabled, which is against Texas law.

The two girls sensed something was wrong when the boys preferred to play Halo rather than engage in their services.

Hardy allegedly told police his father wouldn't mind because he forgot to buy him a present for his birthday the week before.

Hardy is quoted as saying that when he's older, he wants to be a politician.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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Kimota   #22   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

The problem with this story is the reason for the hoax.

It was placed on money.co.uk's website by an online marketing professional in order to build links to the client site.

If online marketers are now resorting to fabricating news for their clients, (and this was very very successful for this client) expect to see hoaxes perpetrated for no better reason than helping a website rank better in Google. Many online marketers areoutraged.

http://www.jonathancrossfield.com/blog/2008/05/linkbait-at-any-cost.html

Apostoli   #21   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Sounds like a story planted by the Halo PR team ;)

morgatho   #20   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

wow, epic fail

fo   #19   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

The strangest part of the story is that he played xbox instead of having sex with the stripper. What's that about

Fo   #18   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Prefered to play xbox instead of rooting the hookers? that's very un-legend like.

Ray   #17   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

So none of that happened and Ralph doesn't exist.

So how did this get so widely reported? No one checks facts anymore?

reaver   #16   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

You guys saying he is your hero seem to have missed that it is a hoax.

Realist   #15   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Hoax, shame cause it's funny as hell

Sam   #14   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Lets write him in in November!

housemonkey   #13   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

If I'd invented this story they would have been playing GTA, not Halo.

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