Dutch woman tells how her 8-year-old son became a cybercriminal and bought an AK-47 rifle with the money he earned

A woman living in the Netherlands told how her 8-year-old son became a cybercriminal at that age and one day bought a Kalashnikov assault rifle on the Internet, Daily Mail reports.

According to Barbara Gemen, her son, whom she did not name, once received a package containing an AK-47 rifle. Shocked by what she saw, the woman immediately handed over the weapon to the police. However, law enforcement agencies and the school where the boy studied did not take any action.

"It sounds like a scene from a movie, but I was shocked when I learned that my eight-year-old son had become a cybercriminal," Gemen said.

The woman said that her son, who is now 20 years old, was obsessed with computer games since childhood and often stayed up late at night. The young gamer even worked on weekends updating the accounts of other online game users. However, everything changes when he meets cybercriminals during another game.

The child begins his so-called "criminal career" with petty crimes by ordering "free" pizza. He then proceeds to launder the criminals' money by making purchases in online games. And soon, with the money received for working for hackers, the boy orders a rifle on the Darknet.

After this incident, Barbara Gemmen quits her job and starts a campaign to help children who are involved in cyber crimes.

"It's so easy these days [to become a cybercriminal] because so many kids have laptops, cell phones, and basically they can hack anything with a few taps. They often don't know what is legal and illegal," said the boy's mother.