Why Are Sangju Dried Persimmons Coming from China? YouTube Scam Uses Stolen Farm Names and Photos

Chinese Traces Found Throughout Advertisement Videos
Real Farm Names and Photos Illegally Used

A scam involving the unauthorized use of Gyeongbuk Sangju dried persimmon farms has occurred on YouTube and other social networking services (SNS), resulting in a growing number of victims. On November 3, police announced that they had launched an investigation after receiving hundreds of reports from people who placed orders for Sangju dried persimmons through advertisements on YouTube and other platforms but never received their products.

Traces of China were detected throughout the advertisement video. A person wearing traditional Chinese clothing appeared, and Chinese characters were engraved on the packaging. The sales site address was also registered in Zhongshan City, China. Screenshot from SNS

Upon visiting the linked websites, it was revealed that the names, photos, and origin labels of actual farms had been copied without permission. The sites also illegally used the certification marks of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, HACCP (Korea Food Safety Management Certification Institute), and various permit documents. However, the accounts and physical addresses associated with these sites were traced to China and Hong Kong. The victimized farms began receiving calls about ten days ago from customers saying, "I ordered dried persimmons, but they haven't been delivered." Initially, the farmers thought it was a simple mistake, but after receiving dozens of complaint calls per day, they realized they were victims of fraud. One farmer said, "They even used my photo and name on the site, and I'm having a hard time trying to explain the situation."

Traces of China were detected throughout the advertisement video. A person wearing traditional Chinese clothing appeared, and Chinese characters were engraved on the packaging. The sales site address was also registered in Zhongshan City, China. It is suspected that a Chinese fraud ring stole the information of the victimized farms. In particular, the scam advertisement claims, "We have obtained exclusive sales rights from a Sangju orchard and are launching direct online sales for the first time," and promotes a special offer: "To celebrate the first release, if you purchase a box of 70 pieces now, you will receive an extra box for free." The prices are also set about 30% to 50% lower than the actual market price.

The problematic videos have been uploaded to multiple platforms, including YouTube and TikTok, with total views exceeding 13 million. Victims said, "When you go to the linked site, it lists the names, producers, and addresses of domestic farms, so we had no idea it was a scam." Some advertisements also masquerade as sales sites for other regional specialties besides dried persimmons, so the actual scale of the damage is expected to be even greater.

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