Pet fish goes on 'shopping spree' using owner's credit card and Nintendo Switch

WASHINGTON (TND) — Credit card fraud is apparently so easy that even a pet fish can do it, according to one gaming channel on YouTube.

A series of random choices from a pet fish is said to have led to it using its owner's credit card to make online shop purchases by way of Nintendo's popular video game console, the Switch. The "crime" was caught on a live stream and later shared in its own video.

Japanese YouTuber "Mutekimaru Channel" explained their aquatic friend's heist was made possible through a set-up intended to test if the fish could beat, on its own, the newest Pokémon game installment: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Instead, the fish opened up the Nintendo Switch's eShop and added funds to its account using its owner's credit card. The owner says they were not supervising the fish at the time, instead broadcasting it for a live-stream audience to watch.

Mutekimaru's setup includes a webcam that records the pet fish's movements. Behind the fish's aquarium is a grid of tiles that host several control options, including directional inputs and buttons for the Switch that allows choices to be made.

When the fish swims in front of a tile, the webcam records the selection and passes on that information to the game, allowing the playable character to move, make decisions and apparently even make unwanted purchases.

Using that setup, the fish has already beaten an older iteration of the game franchise called "Pokémon Sapphire." A video sharing the fish's accomplishment has attained over 450,000 views.

As the story goes, the little aquatic pet was making good progress in beating its newPokémon game. It won several battles and made its way through the game for over 1,000 hours until the game crashed. OnceMutekimaru fixed the issue with the game, the fish's journey continued.

Eventually, the fish's choice of inputs led to it accessing the game console's eShop, where players can purchase a slew of products from other games to in-game add-ons. Players can also add digital currency to their wallets by using credit cards and save that credit card information for future uses.

So it goes, the fish was able to use Mutekimaru's saved credit card information to purchase 500 yen's worth (about $4) of digital currency and add it to its wallet on the Switch console, but that wasn't the end of it.

The fish then downloaded an app that allows users to play older N64 Nintendo games, requested a setup confirmation email from Paypal, spent reward currency to buy a new player avatar, and even changedMutekimaru's Nintendo account name from "Mutekimaru" to "ROWAWAWAWA."

These actions were all made possible by the webcam recording setupMutekimaru created for the fish, and they were all broadcasted to a live audience.

After about seven hours of this, the fish selected the right inputs that powered off the Switch console, ending the unsupervised romp.

Upon discovering the damage done,Mutekimaru said they contacted Nintendo hoping for a refund, which the gaming company granted.

Mutekimaru said that they hope people share the story of their aquatic pet's escapades.

Subscribe to our channel if you like,"Mutekimaru says at the end of the video. " I would be even happier if you would tell your friends and others about this incident and spread the word."

Other Youtube users commented onMutekimaru's video, sharing praise and adoration for the fish.

I am so proud of the fish for reading the terms of service," said one comment.

Seeing fishies play a game made me smile, but laugh when they made purchases!" said another.

Sorry to hear about the fish going on a shopping spree. I hope it got good talking to about responsibility and money spending," yet another comment read.