99-cent sneakers? Man finds close to $3,000 missing from bank account after TikTok purchase

A pair of Onisuka Tiger sneakers for only 99 cents.

The brand's Singapore website shows the Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 to be priced at $190.

The deal was too good to be true, so it couldn't be true. 

But Wu, 62, did not want to miss the opportunity he saw on TikTok at noon on Dec 18.

He clicked on the ad to buy a pair of the shoes and was directed to another webpage where he had to fill in his card details.

"I thought that was a bit weird because I am always prompted to use pre-saved details when I buy something on TikTok," he told Shin Min Daily News.

Wu was also asked to key in a one-time password.

He also made other purchases on TikTok that day, so he did not pay attention to the multiple SMSes he received from the bank regarding transfers made out of his account.

"I remember there was more than $2,000 in my bank account, but two days later I found only $7 left. I checked and found multiple transfer records."

Wu banked in $1,000 on Dec 20 but his balance stood at only $9 the following day.

That was when it clicked that he could have fallen victim to a phishing scam and got the bank to freeze his account and card.

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This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.