Fast-food giant Jollibee blames fraudsters for raffle row

The Philippines’ beloved fast-food chain Jollibee said fraudsters rigged the results of its online raffle, following complaints from customers and a brief government investigation.

Jollibee said “fraudulent third parties” placed multiple entries “despite existing safeguards” for a chance to win food items and concert tickets.

The company said it complied with the government investigation and that the situation had been corrected.

Many social media users were in disbelief when the winners’ names were posted on Jollibee’s Facebook page last week. They said names like Hobby Dynamics, Noble Beer and Alfreda Corkery could have been made up using AI.

Jollibee said it “immediately implemented corrective measures” and disqualified the “invalid major prize winners”. It also suspended succeeding draws and said a re-draw would be held.

“We want to assure everyone that we have fully addressed the issues raised and strictly complied with the investigation initiated by the Department of Trade and Industry,” Jollibee said in a statement late on Wednesday.

The names on the winners’ list baffled social media users as they are uncommon in the country. Filipino first and last names are a mix of English and Spanish inherited from its former colonisers the US and Spain.

The names also include Belle Thompson, Arielle Wintheiser and Gilda Block.

“LIKE SERIOUSLLLLLY?!?!” one Facebook user commented. “Your AI must be too lazy to come up with these kinds of names”.

“They probably thought people didn’t have time to read,” another wrote.

Some drew comparisons to a corruption controversy involving Vice-President Sara Duterte, whose office allegedly paid government funds to individuals with fictitious-sounding names.

The Department of Trade and Industry said on Wednesday that it would “continue to oversee the resumption of the Jollibee Burger Blowout Promo”, ensuring “fairness and transparency in all promotional undertakings”.

Jollibee started as an ice cream shop in the 1970s before opening its first burger restaurant in downtown Manila in the early 1980s. It has expanded its business rapidly in the last five years, acquiring US cafe chain The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and Michelin-starred Hong Kong dimsum chain Tim Ho Wan.

Its founder, Tony Tan Caktiong, is the son of poor immigrants from southern China. The chain’s mascot, a perpetually smiling bee with a red jacket, is a nod to Filipinos’ hardworking nature.

Generations of Filipinos see the brand as a part of their national identity, with its signature fried chicken, burgers and spaghetti becoming a staple for family gatherings.

In 2014, a shortage of its Chickenjoy fried chicken led to the #ChickenSad trend on social media.

Jollibee has 1,600 stores in 17 countries, including the UK, the US, Spain and Singapore.