"I'll transfer the money" and run away... Why Bungeoppang and Hotteok shops only accept cash

Send the transfer amount minus one zero
Claiming to have transferred in a busy moment and then 'meoktwi' (running away after eating)

As the weather gets colder, street vendors selling fish-shaped bread (Bungeoppang) and hotteok are gradually increasing, but unlike last year, more vendors are refusing account transfers and only accepting cash, drawing attention to the reasons behind this trend.

On the 16th, posts appeared on online communities and social networking services (SNS) saying, "These days, many Bungeoppang and hotteok street vendors do not accept account transfers," and "I was surprised because I usually use cards without cash, but they only accepted cash. They don’t even accept account transfers."

As the weather gets colder, the number of street vendors selling bungeoppang and hotteok is gradually increasing, but unlike last year, more vendors are refusing account transfers and accepting cash only. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Photo by Asia Economy DB]

In response to such posts, one netizen commented, "Originally, they accepted account transfers, but now they only take cash. When I asked why, they said some people sent only 200 to 300 won without confirming the deposit details."

If the price of Bungeoppang is a few thousand won, the actual amount transferred via account is a trick where the sender sends 300 or 200 won by dropping one zero. This is a criminal act exploiting the fact that vendors cannot check deposit details one by one while busy running their business.

Another netizen said, "Last year, the hotteok auntie posted her account number but had her account payment suspended, so all transactions were blocked, and she said she never accepts account transfers." They added, "It seems like she fell victim to a voice phishing scam where the scammer deposits money into the victim's account, reports it as voice phishing to get the account suspended, then contacts the victim saying they will unlock the account if they pay money." Photo by Asia Economy

Another netizen said, "Last year, a hotteok auntie posted her account number but got her account suspended, so all transactions were blocked, and she said she absolutely does not accept account transfers anymore." They added, "It seems she fell victim to voice phishing where the scammer deposits money into the victim’s account, reports it as voice phishing to get the account suspended, then contacts the victim saying they will unlock the account if they pay money."

Netizens expressed outrage, asking if people are selling their conscience for the price of Bungeoppang. They left comments such as, "The sundae (Korean blood sausage) lady was really meticulous checking, but even when I kept going and showed the deposit screen, she didn’t look and just gave me the food," "If you don’t want to spend 1,000 to 2,000 won, just stay home," "Some vendors use loud sounds to confirm deposit notifications; I wish everyone would use that," and "There are many who leave without transferring money."

Fraud Exploiting Account Transfer Loopholes Increasing

[Photo by YTN]

Fraud exploiting loopholes in account transfers has been increasing recently. Around last October, an incident occurred where teenage youths scammed taxi drivers by saying, "I accidentally transferred too much taxi fare, so please refund the cash."

Taxi driver Mr. A, who picked up a young man who appeared intoxicated late at night, was deceived by the claim of a mistaken transfer and handed over 1.3 million won in cash. The man said he would transfer the taxi fare of 4,800 won via account and claimed he mistakenly sent 2 million won. The deposit notification message on Mr. A’s phone clearly showed "2,000,000 won."

To return the money, Mr. A withdrew 1.2 million won from a nearby ATM and added 100,000 won he had on hand to give to the man. However, after the man disappeared, Mr. A realized that the "2 million won" was actually the depositor’s name, and the actual amount sent was only 12 won.

Another taxi driver, Mr. B, also revealed that a passenger deposited 1 won and claimed to have deposited 1.01 million won, demanding 1 million won in cash. Police investigations found that the perpetrators were high school teenagers.

They targeted elderly people with poor eyesight at taxis and lodging businesses, and over two months, they swindled 29 million won from 45 victims.

Although such fraud methods are increasing, currently there is no choice but to rely on individual judgment, leading to growing calls for measures to be put in place.

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