The Pitfalls of Side Jobs

On October 30, our reporter personally contacted an Instagram account offering "one-on-one side job class consultations." The account immediately claimed to have earned about 1.6 million won this month, stating, "You just need to know how to copy and paste on a computer without any complications." However, they added, "Classes differ by level. The higher the level, the more tasks and educational content are provided." The highest level course fee is 4.95 million won. The account encouraged enrolling in the higher-level course, claiming that one could earn 3 million won in just two months. Online side job courses promising high returns in a short period are spreading indiscriminately. People facing financial difficulties pay expensive fees for these side job courses in hopes of making money, but many are disappointed by poor-quality content or fall victim to pyramid schemes, suffering losses. According to the "E-learning Industry Survey" by the Software Policy & Research Institute (SPRI

"Because of my father going to the hospital, the children can't eat anything delicious..." This was a post uploaded to a scam victim community on November 14. The author lamented that they had lost more than 40 million won in a side job scam. Other victims who had been hiding also came forward to express their anger together. "I've put my house up for sale." "I tried this for a bit of comfort in life." Victims of side job scams whom I met since last month were in similar situations. They had tried side jobs to help pay for their children's academy fees or to make up for insufficient salaries, only to be scammed. These side job scams specifically targeted those in financially vulnerable positions. Side job scams are particularly malicious in that they exploit the guilt of the economically vulnerable. Perpetrators pressured victims by claiming that multiple people participating in a team mission suffered losses because of the side job scam victim. Unable to withstand the pressure, victim

Editor's NoteWith 650,000 people now engaged in side jobs, many who started side jobs to supplement their livelihoods are losing hope after falling victim to scams disguised as legitimate work. Side job scams are cleverly evading the oversight of both the government and online platforms, resulting in a growing number of victims. The Asia Business Daily aims to track the spread of side job scams and the suffering of those affected.Experts agree that as side job scams spread mainly through social networking services (SNS), platforms must take social responsibility by introducing countermeasures such as adding warning messages about scam risks to posts. They also advise victims that, upon realizing they have been scammed, it is crucial to inform those around them and law enforcement as soon as possible, rather than blaming themselves or avoiding the issue, in order to prevent further damage. On December 2, Kim Dowoo, professor of police studies at Kyungnam University, identified the most

"Side job scams, such as team mission scams, are excluded from relief because they are classified as investment or general fraud. However, side job scams are clearly a type of telecommunications financial fraud (voice phishing), and the system needs to be improved so that victims are included as eligible for relief." (Excerpt from a National Consent Petition submitted by Oh OO on November 6, 2025) Laws established to prevent and recover damages from voice phishing are repeatedly proving ineffective against online scams, such as side job scams. Scammers exploit the pretense of a 'quid pro quo relationship,' making it difficult for victims to recover their losses. Victims of side job scams are urging improvements to the relevant system to fill the gaps in social protection. The current Special Act on the Prevention of Damage from Telecommunications Financial Fraud and Refund of Damages (Telecommunications Fraud Damage Refund Act) defines voice phishing as deceiving victims through elect

Editor's NoteWith 650,000 people now engaged in side jobs, many who started side work to supplement their livelihood are losing hope after falling victim to scams disguised as side jobs. These side job scams are producing numerous victims by cleverly evading the scrutiny of both the government and online platforms. The Asia Business Daily aims to track the spread of side job scams and the suffering of their victims. Ms. Cho (33, female) lost 21 million won to a travel agency side job scam on May 6. She went to the Suwon Nambu Police Station to report the scam, but only received a discouraging response. The police told her, "It may be difficult to resolve the case," explaining that it would be hard to track the perpetrator because a stolen bank account was used. Two months later, the police registered Cho's scam case as an "unresolved case under management." This means that the investigation is effectively suspended because the suspect cannot be identified. "Even people involved with th

Editor's NoteWith 650,000 people now engaged in side jobs, many who started side jobs to supplement their livelihoods are losing hope after falling victim to scams disguised as legitimate opportunities. Side job scams are cleverly evading the monitoring systems of both the government and online platforms, resulting in numerous victims. The Asia Business Daily aims to track the spread of side job scams and the suffering of those affected. "Hello, are you interested in a side job?" On the 28th of last month, a message arrived on the reporter's KakaoTalk. It was a reply that came two hours after the reporter had contacted a post on the social networking service Instagram via KakaoTalk. Curious about how money could be made, the reporter responded without hesitation. "Yes, I am interested." The reporter began looking into side jobs on Instagram last month. A search for '#sidejob' yields a total of 2.05 million posts. Even searching for '#sidejob inquiry' brings up about 510,000 posts, maki

Despite the flood of posts on social networking services (SNS) related to side job scams that lure people with the promise of extra income and then extort money from them, the agency responsible for monitoring and managing online communications networks has come to a complete halt due to political reasons. It has been revealed that 184 reports of side job scams received over the past six months have not only failed to result in the removal of posts, but have not even been reviewed. According to materials obtained by The Asia Business Daily through a freedom of information request on November 28, the Korea Broadcasting Media Communications Standards Commission (KBMCSC) received 184 reports of "internet fraud information" involving side job scams on SNS from June 3 to November 26 of this year. However, the commission has not even started the review process necessary to take action, leaving the cases in limbo. Even "self-regulation" measures, which involve proactively requesting platforms

Editor's NoteWith 650,000 people now engaged in side jobs, many who started side work to supplement their livelihoods are falling victim to scams disguised as legitimate side jobs, losing hope in the process. Side job scams are cleverly evading the scrutiny of both the government and online platforms, resulting in a growing number of victims. The Asia Business Daily is following the spread of these scams and the suffering of those affected. "I'm sorry. Please help me." On August 17, Daeun Kim (49, female) pleaded earnestly with a "withdrawal officer" whose identity she did not know, and who used a cryptocurrency Bitcoin as their profile picture. This happened after Kim had deposited 11,631,200 won to the withdrawal officer. "What on earth are you doing?" The withdrawal officer, rather than helping, became angry at Kim, who had just deposited a large sum of money. Kim kept repeating "I'm sorry," hoping for some leniency. "I can't get any more money. I'll do it right this time. Please