7pay

2019

7pay was a short-lived smartphone payment service in Japan by Seven & i Holdings. Launched on July 1, 2019, the service was discontinued 3 months later on September 30 due to the effects of a hacking incident that took place two days after the launch of the service, in which a Chinese woman fraudulently used 7pay cards, affecting over 800 accounts and costing Seven & i approximately ¥40 million (~$261,000).

After an investigation of the culprit and the infrastructure of the service, it was announced on August 1 that the service would be discontinued on September 30, with the eligibility for refunds. Refunds were completed by February 2020, although 250,000 users never got refunded.