"Mask Group Purchase Payment Scam" ... Beware of Online Shopping Mall Fraud

Seoul City Reports 948 Damage Claims Over 5 Weeks Starting February... One in Three Cases Are Fraud
Be Careful with Cash Payments or Lesser-Known Shopping Malls

On the 9th, when the 'Mask 5-Day Rotation System' was implemented, citizens were purchasing public masks at a pharmacy in Jongno-gu, Seoul. From this day, at pharmacies, individuals can buy only two public masks per person on the designated day according to the last digit of their birth year. Proxy purchases are also allowed for children under 10 years old and seniors over 80 years old. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] # Mr. A saw a group purchase notification feed on Instagram last month stating that masks were being sold for 2,000 won each. He transferred 200,000 won to buy 100 masks. However, even after ten days, the masks were not delivered, and all the seller’s SNS IDs, including Instagram, had been deleted.

As consumer damages related to mask purchases increased due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center issued a 'Mask and Hand Sanitizer Online Shopping Fraud Warning' on the 15th.

The center reported that from the 1st of last month over approximately five weeks, a total of 948 damage cases were received, and one out of every three cases involved 'suspected fraud sites' where contact with the seller was lost after payment, urging citizens to exercise special caution.

Analysis of the damage types showed that 33% (313 cases) were typical suspected fraud sites where contact with the seller was lost. The remaining 67% (635 cases) involved delayed delivery due to stock shortages, unilateral purchase cancellations, and refunds.

Looking at the types of reported sites, the most common case was sellers posting group purchase offers on social networking services (SNS) at prices lower than average. After consumers transferred money for masks, the sellers deleted their SNS IDs and disappeared.

In small-scale online shopping malls, even after consumers purchased products and made payments, the status remained as awaiting payment or only shipping invoices were registered without delivering the goods. When consumers inquired about delivery delays or tried to cancel orders, phone calls were not answered, and even bulletin board responses were absent.

Among these shopping malls, some still continuously upload products such as masks, so consumers need to check the presence and content of bulletin boards before purchasing.

Some sites appeared to be domestic online shopping malls but were actually operated by Chinese owners or had Chinese addresses. Business registration numbers, telecommunication sales report numbers, and phone numbers displayed at the bottom of the homepage were stolen from domestic shopping malls. The center explained that these suspected fraud sites often have servers overseas, making damage relief difficult, thus requiring special caution.

The Seoul Electronic Commerce Reporting Center plans to strengthen monitoring to prevent COVID-19 related consumer damages, block illegal sites, and disclose business names. Since last month, a 'Mask and Hand Sanitizer Online Shopping Damage Intensive Reporting Center' has also been in operation.

If you have suffered damage, you can report it on the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center website (https://ecc.seoul.go.kr). The center assigns dedicated personnel to verify facts through hotlines of the relevant shopping malls upon receiving reports, promptly proposes consumer damage relief, and conducts on-site investigations if violations are found.

Kwon Tae-gyu, Seoul City Fair Economy Officer, advised, "As mask purchases become difficult, fraudulent online shopping mall sales targeting this have increased. Avoid cash payments on SNS or lesser-known internet shopping malls, and if a shopping mall that previously sold other products is now selling hand sanitizers or masks, carefully check purchase reviews to ensure normal product delivery before buying."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.