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Online shoppers say unauthorised Shopee transactions have left them out of pocket

E-commerce platform Shopee, one of the biggest in South East Asia, is under scrutiny over security issues

One of the biggest E-commerce platforms in South East Asia, Shopee, has come under scrutiny in recent weeks over security issues. Users have reported money missing from their accounts. The transactions should have been secured with a one-time pass-code but some customers have taken to social media claiming they were processed without permission.

The Â鶹Éç’s Tossapol Chaisamritpol has been covering the story from Bangkok where he's been speaking to one Shopee customer who says they had 50,000 Thai Baht (£1000 or $1500) taken from her account on 5 December: "There was no OTP message coming to her phone at all. When she checked there were purchase orders on the Shopee history...but the mobile phone registered on Shopee was different from her own. So that's the reason why she didn't receive any OTP message to confirm the purchase." he says.

Around 100 people have posted similar experiences. The company is not just popular in Thailand but also Taiwan, Vietnam, Poland, Chile and Brazil.

In a statement Shopee say, "Our initial finding suggest that the individuals are like victims of phishing scams. We understand the distress this may have caused. We're in contact with the individuals and we're committed to supporting them and the relevant authorities in any investigations. Our users can continue to shop safely and securely on Shopee"

(Photo: The Shopee logo in the background and on a mobile screen. Credit: Getty Images)

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6 minutes