K-Pop Fans Receive Unexpected Fraudulent Charges On Their Credit Cards

K-Pop fans are receiving unexpected charges on their credit or debit cards.

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ATINYs (fans of ATEEZ) recently noticed fraudulent charges on their credit cards being made at Walmart in Arkansas. Since many were experiencing this, it appeared that it might have been ATINYs who had bought ATEEZ memberships from b.stage or TOKTOQ.

ALL ATINYS WHO SWITCHED FROM THE B.STAGE TO TOKTOQ:
PLEASE IM BEGGING CHECK YOUR BANK ACCOUNTS. People (seems like atinys) have been getting a charge from a Walmart in Arkansas
PLEASE CHECK NOW

— ★Liz ⁸ ₁₂₇ ★ (@cheesefries_127) July 18, 2023

Like tf pic.twitter.com/0w4u6TbTii

— ★Liz ⁸ ₁₂₇ ★ (@cheesefries_127) July 18, 2023

atinys pls if you bought the membership on bstage check your bank account, i see a lot of atinys tweets saying they got a charge from a walmart in arkansas, if it happened pls block your card !! i can’t believe what is happening wtf

— mil ✰ (@HONGAZIA) July 18, 2023

if you bought the membership on bstage check your account and freeze your card immediately if you dont have a charge like this pic.twitter.com/R5zDxdkAf8

— aphrodite (@SANSRlO) July 18, 2023

So, ATINYs were warning others to check their bank accounts and freeze their cards. Many have had to contact their banks and dispute the charges.

Check your cards if you have paid for b.stage membership!! URGENT
by u/Own-Choice790 in ATEEZ

Comment
by u/Eolssu from discussion Check your cards if you have paid for b.stage membership!! URGENT
in ATEEZ

While it appeared to be an issue related to ATEEZ, many other fandoms have reported similar issues, including the BTS ARMY or K-Pop fans who purchased KCON tickets. Many noticed fraudulent charges at Walmart using their credit cards too. So, they wondered if there was a data breach on Korean websites, including Weverse. Many have suspected it’s Eximbay, a Korean payment service provider.

Multiple people who have used Eximbay to pay (on Weverse and other platforms) have noticed suspicious payments to Walmart they didn't approve showing up on their credit card

It looks like there's a potential data breach. Not 100% confirmed, but the leading theory is that it's… pic.twitter.com/BmtkKvG8Dj

— BTS ⟭⟬ Merch⁷⟬⟭⍤⃝ (@BTSMerchUpdates) July 19, 2023

I wonder if Eximbay, NHN KCP, Toss Payments all have the same processing company behind them

— BTS ⟭⟬ Merch⁷⟬⟭⍤⃝ (@BTSMerchUpdates) July 19, 2023

Comment
by u/mdragnarok from discussion Check your cards if you have paid for b.stage membership!! URGENT
in ATEEZ

Comment
by u/ispendagesonthis from discussion Check your cards if you have paid for b.stage membership!! URGENT
in ATEEZ

it looks like it’s EXIMBAY which has a data leak !!!! it also processes transactions for other companies, so please even if you didn't buy the membership from bstage or toktoq check your bank account !! https://t.co/qPi80q6FO9

— mil ✰ (@HONGAZIA) July 18, 2023

I want to point out that from a legal perspective, this isn't KQ's responsibility but very much the company behind b.stage and toktoq. If it's coming from them and eximbay, KQ is very much a victim too.

— Nali (@Atinalii) July 18, 2023

i think it may be an eximbay hack. like i have friends who haven’t downloaded toktoq but still got charged. but they went through eximbay to purchase the membership kit on b.stage . https://t.co/IwaWdHwPzP

— alexis ♡’s 홍중 (@hongsauroraa) July 18, 2023

Since Eximbay seems to be the most common factor in this equation, K-Pop fans have also begun to contact the company. They are asking for compensation and their information to be deleted.

according to the article here the eximbay company is "responsible for compensating users for damages caused by an accident caused by the use of electronic devices for electronic financial transactions or access media obtained by false" atiny contact the company and email kq!! pic.twitter.com/uLNHpC6pLR

— atiny love place ???? (@atinyloveplace) July 18, 2023

if anyone is looking for wording with reaching out to eximbay, here is what i just sent! https://t.co/80CKdAHVbG pic.twitter.com/FwyNR8YDPb

— danni (@starboymingi) July 18, 2023

Yet, a few victims of the fraudulent charges at Walmart say they have never used Eximbay. So, it’s hard to confirm that the company is responsible.

Atinys please be careful with your credit cards. I almost got stolen 93,22€ X2 from a Walmart and I did not use eximbay to pay on b.stage/toktoq

Please be careful pic.twitter.com/FBrW59PJJR

— kei best Junghoon st⩜⃝n (@hoonwoosanggii) July 20, 2023

I DIDNT EVEN ORDER ANYTHING FROM EXIMBAY????? pic.twitter.com/rvO8GNveCY

— venus saw kard (@bahiyyihreal) July 20, 2023

This might be a bigger data breach than just Eximbay. There's no news on it yet as far as I can tell. It's just people sharing their experience https://t.co/9gjqkaWrS4

— BTS ⟭⟬ Merch⁷⟬⟭⍤⃝ (@BTSMerchUpdates) July 19, 2023

So, at this time, everyone must be cautious. Check your bank account for suspicious charges if you have bought anything K-Pop-related recently.