Reports surfaced recently indicating that several users had encountered unauthorized transactions on their Meituan accounts, drawing widespread attention. On July 30, Meituan publicly responded, stating that after individual investigations, the affected users likely fell victim to a new form of telecom fraud. The company is actively cooperating with police inquiries and has implemented various measures to safeguard user accounts.
According to Meituan, the modus operandi in these incidents is highly consistent: criminals lure users with promises of "cashback for fake orders" or "high commissions," sending links containing malware. Once a user clicks the link, their phone is remotely controlled. The criminals then use the user's identity to bulk purchase popular restaurant meal vouchers and scenic spot tickets on Meituan, swiftly reselling these items on online second-hand platforms to cash out and profit.
Currently, multiple local police departments have filed cases and are investigating the fraud. Meituan is cooperating by providing complete data, including account login logs, order details, and redemption records, to assist in tracking down the criminal syndicate.
In response to this new criminal technique, Meituan stated it has continuously upgraded its risk control strategies. For high-risk scenarios like bulk purchases of popular restaurant vouchers, the platform now adds risk alerts and verification steps before the purchase. It has also restricted the transfer path for vouchers and disabled the "pay on behalf" function for high-risk categories.
Regarding user protection, Meituan has opened a dedicated channel for handling theft-related issues, ensuring that unfulfilled orders are intercepted as soon as a user calls. For orders that have already been redeemed, the company has initiated a special evaluation process, with a dedicated team contacting each affected user individually to assist in properly addressing the associated losses.
"We take every user's concerns very seriously and will not leave any user's issue unresolved," the head of Meituan's customer service department stated.
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