Last Friday (8 Nov), a man posted in the Complaint Singapore Facebook group alleging that a QR code at Jollibee’s NEX outlet offering “free ice cream” in exchange for feedback ended up charging him S$7.99 instead.
Image courtesy of Mr Quek
Speaking to MS News, the man, Mr Quek, shared that the incident occurred on 1 Nov at around 2.45pm.
He has since reached out to Jollibee via its Facebook page and lodged a police report concerning the matter.
Mr Quek explained that his wife was at the Jollibee NEX outlet when she noticed a QR code at the payment counter offering free ice cream in exchange for completing a feedback survey.
Source: Complaint Singapore on Facebook
After scanning the code, she was directed to a website that prompted her to enter her mobile number.
Image courtesy of Mr Quek
Believing she would be taken to a feedback form, she entered her mobile number, only to discover she had unknowingly subscribed to a service.
She soon received an SMS confirming a purchase for ‘Next Battle’, an online gaming subscription.
Despite cancelling the service right away, Mr Quek, to whom the phone was registered, noticed a S$7.99 charge on his Singtel bill on 7 Nov.
“It’s very misleading,” Mr Quek said. “[The QR code] was supposed to lead to a survey for feedback to Jollibee.”
Mr Quek told MS News that he had reached out to Jollibee Singapore via Facebook and Instagram to report the incident.
He also reached out to Singtel regarding the erroneous charge.
While Singtel offered a one-time waiver for the charge, he declined, stating: “This is not right nor ethical as Singtel would absorb the charge, while the ‘scam’ company still gets paid.”
He has also filed a police report to formally address the issue.
On 9 Nov, Jollibee Singapore responded to Mr Quek’s message.
The fast food chain acknowledged the issue and confirmed that a “thorough investigation” was underway.
Image courtesy of Mr Quek
On the afternoon of 11 Nov, Mr Quek said that a marketing manager from Jollibee had reached out to him. They will reportedly refund him the S$7.99 via paynow.
They also informed him that the police had reached out to the establishment and there is an ongoing investigation on the matter.
Many netizens who commented on Mr Quek’s post expressed suspicion that the QR code at the Jollibee payment counter may have been covered with a fake one.
Source: Complaint Singapore on Facebook
One netizen even went as far as scanning the QR code in Mr Quek’s post, which also led them to the “scam site”.
They encouraged Mr Quek to report the incident to Jollibee.
Another netizen pointed out that this is not a new scam, noting that scammers often paste their own QR codes over legitimate ones.
They urged Mr Quek and others to be more cautious when clicking on links or scanning QR codes.
Source: Complaint Singapore on Facebook
MS News has reached out to Jollibee Singapore for more details.
Also read: Filipino fast-food giant Jollibee to fully acquire Hong Kong’s Tim Ho Wan
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Featured image adapted from MS News Reader and dontree_m on Canva.
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Investigations are ongoing to locate the suspect.
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