A woman posted a photo of her dinner on social media and received a bill for $60.
A Chinese restaurant customer was shocked when, due to an innocent incident on social networks, she was billed a mind-boggling sum of $60. New York Post.
The incident occurred on November 23 when the woman, who gave only her surname Wang, was having dinner with a friend at Hotpot Restaurant in Kunming, southwest China.
As is common with many restaurant visitors, she decided to take a photo of her dish for social networks.
Everything went wrong after the girl accidentally included in the photo the table's QR code, which diners scan with their iPhone to pay for their food.
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After posting the photos on the Chinese social network WeChat, she realized something was wrong when she received a check for the mind-boggling sum of 430 yuan (about $000).
Although the diner only posted the photos for her contacts, several criminals used the QR code to charge her a huge amount of food.
The illegally “paid for” items included 2 portions of squid, 580 portions of duck blood (a popular delicacy in the region) and an insane 1 portions of shrimp paste.
Even after Wang realized her mistake and deleted the photo, she continued to receive orders, which she explained by saying that someone had downloaded the photo before it was deleted.
Fortunately, the staff did not force her to pay for the extra food and moved her to another table to distinguish real orders from fraudulent ones.
Unfortunately, the restaurant management was unable to identify the culprits or stop the scammers from issuing new bills.
To prevent future fraud, the restaurant revised its ordering system so that orders could only be placed within a certain distance.
Unfortunately, Wang was a victim of digital fraud, but she considers the ordeal a learning experience.
Meanwhile, other WeChat users reported similar incidents of QR code theft, illustrating the pitfalls of the digital ordering system.
Sichuan-based lawyer Lin Xiaoming advised ordering platforms to use anti-theft measures, including requiring customers to pay in advance before ordering and punishing food thieves with credit deductions and other deterrents.
Security concerns are not the only difficulty restaurant patrons face when ordering food using a QR code.
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Many restaurant patrons in the US blame the US version of the system when they have to scan a code to open the menu. In their opinion, it spoils the impression of the restaurant.
“If you're forced to squint at your iPhone before your first sip of wine, it could take away from the joy of dining—indoors or out,” Post food critic Steve Cuozzo wrote in a column.
“Dinner should be light-hearted and fun,” says New York-based communications consultant Rachel Antman, who enjoys frequenting restaurants. “QR codes kill the mood and turn what should be an enjoyable experience into a chore.”
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