Students Use App Error to Get $30,000 of KFC for Free
Five students in China have been sent to prison after using an error in KFC's ordering apps to get as much free food as they wanted.
A 23-year-old university student identified as Xu discovered the error in April 2018, according to Chinese news site The Paper.
Xu found that he could order food using a coupon on the KFC phone app, but immediately get a refund for the coupon on the company's WeChat app, where it would show up as unused. By doing so, he was able to buy as much chicken as he wanted for free.
Xu started ordering free food for himself and selling KFC meals at a lower price to friends. He also told four other students about the error and showed them how to use it.
Over six months, Xu cost KFC just over $9,000. His friends cost the company between about $1,400 and $7,300 each.
In May, a Shanghai court found all five students guilty of fraud. Xu was sent to prison for two-and-a-half years and had to pay a fine of about $930. His friends were sent to prison for 15 months to two years, and given fines of between about $155 and $620 each.
The story became a popular topic on Chinese social media. Some users said Xu should have told KFC about the error, and it's right that he and his friends are going to prison. However, other users said the court's decision was too harsh.
