- Scammers impersonate Nio and regulators, using unofficial links to lure owners into submitting personal information.
- Other automakers including Aito, BMW and Ford have also issued warnings about fake notices that pressure owners to act by threatening to cancel warranties.
Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) has warned owners about scam text messages claiming their vehicles are subject to an "airbag recall," becoming the latest automaker to issue an alert over fraudulent recall notices.
In a statement posted on its app on Sunday, Nio said scammers had recently impersonated the company and regulators, sending fake texts to some users to lure them into completing purported recall procedures.
The messages contain unofficial links asking owners to submit personal information. Nio said neither the texts nor the attached documents were official communications, and the recall claims were false.
Examples shared by Nio show that the fake notices cite alleged airbag safety risks, instruct owners to contact customer service within 2 hours and threaten to cancel their warranties if they fail to act.
The materials also include documents bearing the company's name, logo and forged seals, as well as a fake Nio login page asking users to enter their phone numbers and verification codes.
Nio urged users not to click suspicious links, reply to the messages or provide personal and vehicle information to unknown parties. It stressed that official recall notices would not request private information through texts from unfamiliar senders.
The warning follows a series of similar alerts from other automakers. Huawei-backed Aito issued a warning as early as November 6, while Ford released a statement on November 13.
Aito said at the time that some users had received texts impersonating the brand, falsely claiming their vehicles were subject to an airbag recall and pressuring them to act with threats such as "cancellation of warranty services."
Aito explicitly denied the airbag recall claims in the messages and urged users who had suffered financial losses to preserve evidence, including texts and chat records, and report the incidents to police.
Ford China said the company and its affiliates had received multiple reports and inquiries, uncovering attempts by scammers to impersonate the brand and regulators to lure owners into providing personal information.
BMW China also said in a November 6 statement that scammers had forged seals bearing the names of "BMW China" and "BMW Brilliance," sending fake recall notices with links or QR codes via text and multimedia messages.
BMW said official recall notices would never ask owners to provide sensitive information such as bank card details or verification codes, or require them to transfer money or make payments.
BYD (HKEX: 1211), Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI), Volkswagen China, Chery and GWM (HKEX: 2333) have also issued similar statements warning owners about scams involving fraudulent recall notices.
The automaker statements available so far have not disclosed the total number of owners affected or the scale of financial losses, nor have they indicated whether the fake notices targeting different brands originated from the same group.
Nio said owners can verify recall information through the official website of China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) or Nio's official channels, and should contact official customer service if they encounter anything suspicious.
Nio October deliveries fall 15.23%, ending 31-month streak of year-on-year growth - CnEVPostOctober deliveries of 34,246 vehicles were the lowest since April, as Onvo's decline offset year-on-year growth at the Nio main brand and Firefly.