From QR code scanning for ride hailing and self-service checkout to automatic membership renewal on video platforms and music app subscription renewal, the "contactless" payment method of "no password payment" has penetrated into various scenes of life. However, behind the convenience lies the risk of bank card theft and fraud. Recently, an incident of "162 transactions stolen from an Apple phone account in the early hours of the morning" has pushed the security vulnerability of "secret free payment" to the forefront of public opinion, triggering public attention and discussion on the security of "secret free payment". The security of "secret free payment", how to develop the "secret free payment" model in standardization, and how to protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers have become common concerns. On April 3rd, the news of "162 transactions stolen from an Apple account in the early morning" on social media platforms was trending as "no secret payment" or "risk of theft and fraud". An Apple phone user claimed that they were unknowingly robbed of 162 transactions between 2:50 am and 5:51 am by criminals, with a total amount exceeding 80000 yuan. This user said that these fraudulent transactions are conducted through game recharge and app subscription, with small amounts per transaction, but due to their high frequency, they result in huge economic losses. This is not an isolated case. At the beginning of March this year, many netizens posted online that their Apple phones had been stolen and swiped, and their WeChat or Alipay had multiple deductions for no reason, ranging from several thousand yuan to more than 10000 yuan. Under social media related topics, some consumers claimed that their mobile accounts were hacked late at night and used 998 yuan to recharge a certain game. This was due to the daily transaction limit set on the bound credit card, which prevented even greater losses. Previously, Apple customer service stated in a response to the media that criminals may have used Apple's "no password payment" feature to recharge customers who purchased "proxy charging" services with stolen accounts. 'Password free payment' refers to the feature of 'payment can be completed without a password', which is launched by some payment platforms or applications to improve payment convenience. After users activate it, a single transaction amount can be directly deducted within a certain limit. In recent years, as a payment method that can complete transactions without entering a password, it has been favored by many consumers and consumer platforms due to its convenience. The incidents of consumer theft and fraud all point to the "no password payment" function enabled on mobile phones. Don't know if you don't check, you'll be shocked if you do. "Some consumers found out during their search that they had signed up for" secret free payment "or automatic deduction services with more than ten institutions such as ride hailing platforms, shared bicycle rental platforms, parking service platforms, e-commerce platforms, etc. Opening permissions can easily lead to financial losses. On the Black Cat Complaints Platform, there are over 60000 complaints related to "secret free payments". These complaints include issues such as users being unknowingly enabled for "secret free payment", being unable to cancel the function, and arbitrarily deducting fees after activation. The scenarios that occur are concentrated in e-commerce platforms, car rental platforms, membership activation, and second-hand platforms. The elderly with less knowledge of the Internet are more likely to fall into the "trap" of online consumption because of their relatively weak ability to identify online consumption. Previously, in May 2024, the China Consumers' Association (hereinafter referred to as the "China Consumers' Association") released an analysis of the complaints received by the National Consumers' Association in the first quarter of 2024, which pointed out that some elderly consumers were automatically deducted after clicking on the lottery link on a certain shopping platform; Some short video platforms use algorithms to target elderly people and push bizarre and exaggerated "micro dramas", then induce them to continue watching at extremely low prices and default to "no secret payment", then deduct fees by episode and automatically play the next episode. Wang Fenghe, a member of the Lawyer Expert Database of the Rule of Law Daily and a senior partner of Beijing Yingke Law Firm, said that the emergence of "secret free payment" was originally intended to enhance user experience and save transaction time; But currently, there are problems such as "difficult to avoid", "difficult to cancel", and "high risk". If this function is used by criminals, it will bring serious security risks. In his opinion, although "secret free payments" usually have a payment limit, such as the common 1000 yuan or less, this limit is mainly for single transactions and lacks restrictions and monitoring measures on transaction frequency. Criminals often exploit this loophole to conduct high-frequency small-scale transactions in a short period of time to avoid system risk control. On March 25, 2025, in response to widespread user feedback about the "difficult to avoid", "difficult to cancel", and "high risk" issues of "no secret payment", the China Consumers Association issued a consumption reminder, reminding consumers to use the "no secret payment" function on their mobile phones with caution when shopping online, to avoid financial losses caused by excessive opening of account permissions. At the same time, it is suggested that consumers should regularly check whether Alipay, WeChat or bank cards are bound, and close unnecessary "secret free payment". Consumers should promptly remove payment authorizations for infrequently used third-party applications to reduce potential risks. Both merchants and payment platforms should fulfill their obligations of information disclosure and security protection. ”Wang Fenghe suggests that merchants set up a shortcut to "turn off 'secret free payment'" in a prominent position on the payment interface, and remind users of potential risks with clear signs. Payment platforms need to strengthen the security of their systems and regularly update security measures such as firewalls to prevent user information leakage and theft incidents. Multiple measures should be taken to protect payment security. "Secret free payment" is a convenient tool in the digital age, especially in small and frequent payment scenarios such as daily commuting and supermarket shopping. Consumers attach more importance to payment security and efficiency. So, in the face of the security risks behind the "secret free payment" function, how can we promote the healthy development of the "secret free payment" business while ensuring the property and payment security of consumers? The interviewed experts believe that on the one hand, payment platforms need to optimize the confirmation process and information disclosure of "secret free payments", and must ensure that "secret free payments" receive clear consent from consumers to avoid misleading practices of default authorization. On the other hand, users should not be encouraged or induced to repeatedly activate the "secret free payment" function every time they make a payment. Instead, reasonable "secret free payment" limits should be set based on the user's explicit consent, and convenient methods for canceling permissions and modifying limits should be provided to the user. In addition, in terms of regulation, market supervision, industrial and information technology departments, as well as consumer associations, industry organizations and other institutions should increase their supervision of "secret free payment" behavior and improve supervision and governance mechanisms. Through methods such as counseling through interviews, filing investigations, ordering rectification, and public exposure, effective constraints and punishments are imposed on relevant platforms and merchants to promote self-regulation in the entire industry. Wang Fenghe suggested that specialized laws and regulations should be formulated for "secret free payments", clearly defining the responsibilities and obligations of payment platforms, and providing stronger legal protection for consumer rights. At the same time, payment platforms and regulatory agencies jointly establish a full chain guarantee mechanism of "pre notification of payment security+in-process control+post remediation", and improve user privacy protection and transaction security levels through technical and management means. By implementing measures such as risk warning, payment limit control, abnormal transaction monitoring, and user education, we can enhance consumers' self-protection awareness and ability, thereby reducing the risk of "secret free payment". (New Society)