Temu online marketplace run in China that flooded X with 'free cash giveaway' ... trends now
Chinese online marketplace megalith Temu is running a giveaway offering users 'free money' in exchange for new sign-ups - but there are concerns that people entering the promotion could have their information 'sold' to advertisers.
The shopping website, which sells extremely cheap goods sent directly to users from China, is running a promotion offering a combination of cash and store credit.
With a series of flashy in-app graphics, users are told they're moments away from claiming up to £100 of combined PayPal money and Temu vouchers - but social media users are concerned about whether the giveaway is too good to be true.
The competition's own terms state that those who take part in the contest surrender a large amount of personal information in doing so - just as the UK and US identified China as the source of a wave of cyberattacks on public figures and institutions.
The rules in the 'Cash Reward' promotion state users agree to give Temu permission to use their 'photo, name likeness, voice, opinions, statements, biographical information, and/or hometown and state' worldwide.
Temu sells extremely cheap goods on behalf of third-party wholesalers that are shipped directly from China
Tweets promoting Temu's money giveaway giveaway are now flooding timelines on social media - with images offering 'Easy cash' in exchange for sign-ups
The terms for the contest warn that personal information is surrendered by entering the competition (left). Data is processed in accordance with Temu's privacy policy (right), which says information can shared or 'sold' but does say users can opt out
Flashy graphics tell users that the free money is within their grasp - as long as they get some friends to join Temu as well
The app features what it says are reviews from competition winners who have managed to claim the free money
Some users are fed up of the links flooding their timelines - while others have questioned how the site can give away large amounts of cash
And the giveaway rules are further governed by Temu's wider privacy policy, which shares personal information about shoppers with third parties such as advertising platforms and the sellers who use its platform.
The giveaway, accessible only within the Temu mobile app, launches with glowing graphics of a gift being opened and the user being told they are on their way to claiming a 'Grand Reward'.
And by pressing a few buttons on the prompts that follow, the reward is suddenly boosted to almost £100 - with the app promising users it will become 'super easy' to claim the cash.
Users are then told, with £1 to go, that they must invite up to 20 new people to join Temu - with anywhere from 1p to £1 awarded per user who joins up with their personalised invitation link.
They must hit the £100 threshold in order to claim the reward. As a result, people have taken to social media in droves sharing their own invites in the hope of getting over the line and claiming a combination of PayPal credit and Temu vouchers.
'Click here and see how much you can earn,' reads one post on X, formerly Twitter, with a graphic that reads: 'Accept my invitation and earn your Easy cash!'
The app itself shows what it claims are reviews of the competition from existing winners, thanking Temu for the prize.
But some social media users are fed up of the Temu links plaguing their feeds.
'Can these Temu ads leave me alone?' one user wrote on X, while another added: 'That Temu thing seems too good to be true like how're they just giving people money.'
Temu's privacy policy states that it can share personal information with third parties such as advertisers. The site insists that it does not 'sell' user data - but admits that in some countries, the sharing of data is considered 'selling'.
The policy reads: 'At Temu, we care deeply about privacy. While Temu shares your personal information for the purposes of targeted
