"Trying to Save Even a Penny"... Beware of Secondhand Transaction Scams Targeting the 'Altteuljok'

Rapid Increase in Mobile Gift Card and Coupon Transactions
23.8% of Secondhand Trading App Users Experience Fraud

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Recently, due to the impact of high inflation, the number of so-called 'thrifty consumers' using secondhand trading platforms has increased, leading to a surge in small-scale fraud targeting them. Although the methods of crime are becoming increasingly sophisticated, victims often find it difficult to report when the amount lost is small, and even when reports are made, it is challenging to catch the perpetrators quickly, so caution is required.

Recently, there has been a growing demand for purchasing mobile gift certificates through secondhand trading. According to Junggonara, a secondhand trading platform, the volume of mobile gift certificates and coupons registered on the platform in June was 9.8 billion KRW. This represents a 34% increase compared to April, two months earlier.

The most frequently registered categories of mobile coupons and gift certificates were ▲food and beverage brands ▲convenience store brands, in that order. In the past, it was common to trade high-priced items such as department store gift certificates, but recently, the buying and selling of relatively inexpensive mobile gift certificates around 10,000 KRW have increased.

As the secondhand trading market grows, fraudulent transactions have also increased accordingly. A recent survey by the Korea Consumer Agency of 1,150 consumers aged 10 to 50 who have used secondhand trading apps such as Danggeun Market and Junggonara within the last three months found that 23.8% of respondents reported having experienced fraud.

Fraud methods are diverse. Typical cases include receiving money and then cutting off contact or sending bricks, wet wipes, etc., instead of high-priced items like electronics. There are also cases where used coupons are sold as if they have not been used yet, or where after trading gifticons, the seller cancels the payment for the gifticon, preventing the buyer from using it.

Recently, a man in his 20s, Mr. A, who carried out a fraud scheme worth several hundred million KRW using such methods, was sentenced to four years in prison. Mr. A is accused of collecting a total of 210 million KRW from about 140 victims over one year starting in 2020 through secondhand trading platforms.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, sellers can also become victims. A typical example is the 'third-party fraud,' where a scammer pretends to be either the seller or buyer in the middle of a transaction and only takes the money. The scammer pretends to be a buyer to the seller, obtaining photos of the goods and bank account numbers. Then, pretending to be the seller to the actual buyer, the scammer makes the buyer transfer money to the received bank account number along with the photos. The money is paid by a third party, and the scammer intercepts the goods in the middle. As a result, the seller completes a legitimate transaction but suffers damage such as being reported.

Although fraud damages continue, there are no proper measures to regulate them. When disputes arise between consumers on secondhand trading platforms, resolution is generally expected to be between the parties involved. Under current law, there is no legal provision requiring platforms to intervene directly in problems between individuals.

Therefore, most victims tend to overlook the incident rather than report it. This is because recovering the lost amount takes a considerable amount of time, and the reporting process is often complicated.

Meanwhile, starting in October, victims of online secondhand trading fraud will be able to apply for damage relief through a dedicated website operated by the Korea Communications Commission and the Korea Information and Communication Promotion Association. The KCC announced that the 'Online Damage 365 Center,' a comprehensive online damage consultation support window, will begin public service in October. The center plans to provide one-stop consultation, including direct counseling and support for damage complaints and expert legal advice.

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