Do you often overlook the smaller transactions in your bank statements? If so, it might be time to reconsider, as one Foodpanda customer, Sherrene Tan, recently learned the hard way.
On April 4, Sherrene took to Facebook to share her alarming experience with unauthorized transactions made through the food delivery service using her bank information. In her post, she disclosed that she had filed a police report against Foodpanda for the unauthorized charges and misuse of her bank card.
Sherrene recounted that she had received several One-Time Password (OTP) messages for Foodpanda orders she did not place. Seeking clarification, she contacted her bank, only to be advised to “just ignore the OTP SMS,” as the transactions could not be completed without her authorization. The bank suggested that these messages might be a result of other Foodpanda users mistakenly entering her phone number.
However, the situation escalated when the bank contacted her on a different occasion to verify multiple transactions made on the Foodpanda platform. After denying any involvement, she instructed the caller not to authorize any transactions and decided to call her bank card center to cancel her card.
Upon contacting the card center, Sherrene discovered that five unauthorized transactions had occurred since January 2022, totaling approximately $120, with individual charges ranging from $28 to $29. She pointed out that the amounts referenced in the OTP messages did not match the transaction amounts, which were spaced out over several hours or days.
In light of her experience, Sherrene filed a police report and emphasized the importance of regularly reconciling bank statements to detect any irregularities. She cautioned, “Most of us may overlook small payments (a few dollars up to $30 per transaction) in our bank statements as not many would do bank reconciliation on each and every payment.”
Sherrene encouraged her followers to review their bank accounts carefully, especially if they receive unexpected OTP messages.
When contacted by AsiaOne, Foodpanda acknowledged the situation and stated their intention to cooperate with authorities during the investigation. They urged customers who suspect fraudulent activity on their credit cards to promptly inform their banks, report the issue to Foodpanda, and file a police report.