Oppo and Realme Thailand have apologised for pre-installing the Fineasy app, a third-party programme offering loans, on their smartphones. Both brands agreed to uninstall the app, emphasising their users' safety and privacy are their top priorities.
Writing on social media on Sunday, the Thailand Consumers Council (TCC) urged both smartphone brands to provide an explanation following reports from users that unauthorised loan applications, such as Fineasy, have been pre-installed as system apps on their smartphones.
Alarmingly, these apps cannot be uninstalled and are capable of sending loan invitations and accessing users' personal data, including their contact lists and phone numbers, the TCC said.
Installing software without user consent is a violation of user rights and raises concerns over the potential misuse of personal information, such as financial exploitation or fraud by call centre scams, the TCC said.
The council is calling on government agencies, including the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, the Office of the Personal Data Protection Committee, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, the Office of the Consumer Protection Board and the Bank of Thailand to investigate the issue promptly to protect consumers from potential online financial fraud.
In the latest development, both Oppo and Realme Thailand issued public apologies regarding the Fineasy app. They also disclosed they have removed all loan-related services from the app, retaining only features that ease daily convenience. Both firms added they are accelerating efforts to enable users to uninstall the app.
Oppo has also pledged to discontinue pre-installing loan-related apps and will no longer recommend such applications in its APP Market. In the meantime, users wishing to remove the app immediately can visit the customer service centres of both companies nationwide.
Regarding third-party software linked to loan services, both companies said they are working with state agencies to fix the issue swiftly.