"Deposit Notification Displayed, but..." Controversy Over Fake App Manipulating Alipay Remittance Records

Remittance Records and Balance Screens Can Be Manipulated

Other Payment Services Also Exposed to Fraud Risks

Apps for Forging Text Message Information Also Appear

A fake app capable of manipulating Alipay (Zhifubao), China’s leading mobile payment system, remittance records and balance displays is being distributed, causing controversy.

According to local media outlets such as Sina Finance on the 13th, the keyword "Fake Alipay App" topped trending searches on Chinese social networking services (SNS) on the 12th.

A 'fake app' capable of manipulating Alipay (Zhifubao) transfer history and balance screens has been distributed, causing controversy. According to Chinese Baidu.

Online, people can purchase the application for 1.8 to 6.8 yuan (approximately 360 to 1,360 KRW), allowing them to freely edit Alipay account balances and easily create fake remittance animations or chat records. There are even concerns that if a virus such as a "Trojan horse" is covertly installed through the app, users’ funds could be stolen.

Chinese media have reported that counterfeit versions of major local payment service apps—including Alipay, WeChat Pay, and UnionPay—are currently being sold as installation files on major e-commerce platforms. While Alipay, which has the largest market share, is currently at the center of attention, other payment services are also exposed to similar fraud risks.

Alipay Fake App. Xiaohongshu.

As the controversy escalated, Alipay issued a public statement. Alipay stressed that users must download the official app through authorized channels, and urged that special caution should be given to elderly users not to trust screen captures blindly. The company also emphasized that users must confirm actual deposits when conducting transactions.

An Alipay representative stated that remittance screen captures can be freely manipulated and that the platform has no way of preventing this. "If you need a transaction certificate with legal validity, you can directly request an electronic receipt stamped with Alipay’s digital signature from the other party," the spokesperson added.

Chinese media also reported that, in addition to payment apps, apps designed to "forge text message information" were found in the course of this investigation. By using these apps, people can edit and send text messages, including the sender, recipient, and content. Fake bank messages such as "10 million yuan (approximately 2 billion won) has been deposited to your account" or police messages like "You are under suspicion of fraud, please cooperate with the investigation" can be sent and received, and replies are also possible. Media outlets highlighted that this is raising significant concerns over potential secondary voice phishing and smishing crimes, urging the public to exercise particular caution.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.