The internet is full of financial horror stories, some worse than others. One such tale was shared by a TikToker who claimed $400 mysteriously disappeared from her bank account after she gave the details to Temu, an online marketplace.
Allegedly, Temu Took Money in Small Amounts
The TikToker in question is known as pheveyaa. The video, which has over 10 million views, explains how Temu slowly drained her account with a series of small withdrawals. She said: “They took $400 but it was in, like, very small portions [over the course of] two months. So, like, once a day, they would take out $3, so you don’t catch onto it.”
Her Bank Warned Her
The TikToker received several messages from her bank warning her about potential suspicious activity – but she ignored them, ironically believing them to be fraudulent. The creator said she thought: “I’m not falling for this. I know they just want me to click the link [so] they can hack me.”
The TikToker Claims Temu Sold Her Details to the Black Market
When she finally realized her bank’s warnings were real, the content creator was given a three-page document detailing the fraudulent charges on her card. “My details got sold to the black market by Temu. All of [the charges] were from, like, different countries because the black market people use a different IP address or something,” she said in her video. For the caption, she wrote: “I have reason to believe this happened through Temu. However, this could have happened from any [of the] apps I entered my details into.”
The TikToker Didn’t Provide Evidence
It’s worth noting that, while the TikToker said she had “reason to believe” Temu – which is Chinese-owned – was responsible, she did not provide evidence and went on to admit that she’d given her details to other apps too. While Temu may well be behind the fraudulent activity, it’s important to remember that no evidence was presented – a significant detail, given the abundance of anti-Chinese xenophobia in society.
Some Commenters Defended Temu
Some of the TikToker’s viewers defended Temu in the comments. “I use Temu and literally nothing happened,” one person wrote, gaining over 2,000 likes. “Same. I’ve bought stuff on two occasions and they both arrived,” another replied. “Yeah, you get the items but they have your payment details saved,” a third hit back.
Some Questioned the TikToker
Some people questioned why it took the TikToker so long to realize what was going on. “You trusted Temu instead of the notifications from your bank?” one individual asked. “Scam links from fake contacts pretending to be the bank are really common,” another explained.
Others Criticized Temu in Other Ways
Some commenters discussed other ways in which Temu appears to be a questionable company. “In the terms and conditions, Temu says it doesn’t owe you any refunds for items you didn’t get,” one individual alleged. “I never used Temu. It seemed sketchy from the start,” another added.
The TikToker Isn’t the Only One
The TikToker isn’t the only one to allegedly have money taken by Temu. Over on Reddit, one person wrote: “I work for a bank in the office. Our fraud department has had several calls this week after funds have been taken by Temu. I saw a TikTok the other day about this too and I didn’t think much of it until now. Careful, people.”
Redditors Shared Their Thoughts
Redditors shared their thoughts about the relatively new online marketplace. “From the first time I saw [Temu], it screamed ‘red flag.’ It was too similar to Wish but with all the [stuff] that I actually like at a fraction of the price anywhere else. If it’s too good to be true, it is!” one person wrote. “Temu is the Wish [version] of Wish,” another joked.
Others Responded With Sarcasm
Some Redditors responded with sarcasm. One such individual wrote: “A company that sells counterfeit products using stolen images for ungodly low prices would engage in unethical, illegal business practices? I am speechless. What has the world come to when you can’t trust a visibly scummy company to protect your data?”
Some Redditors Doubted OP’s Claims
Some Redditors doubted OP’s claims about the bank receiving a plethora of calls regarding Temu’s alleged fraudulent activity. One individual wrote: “That is not correct. Temu is not taking your money. People may be using stolen cards to buy things on Temu but Temu is not committing credit card fraud. Source: Actual attorney and banker, as well as personal experience.”
According to Another Reader, Temu Is Not a Scam
According to one Redditor, Temu isn’t a scam – at least not directly. They wrote: “People are going to have their information stolen everywhere and Temu doesn’t steal more data from [you] than other apps. You should always be careful, no matter where you shop, because things like this always happen. Temu isn’t directly a scam. The things I got from them were actually not that low in quality, just a little beaten up from the transport because they just throw everything you want in a package and send it away.”
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