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 opportunities, losing hope in the process. Side job scams are cleverly evading oversight by both the government and online platforms, resulting in a growing number of victims. The Asia Business Daily is following the spread of side job scams and the suffering of those affected.
Kim Daeun (49, female), a victim of a side job scam, is being interviewed at a location in Seoul on the 24th. Photo by Kang Jinhyung
원본보기 아이콘"I'm sorry. Please help me."
On August 17, Da-eun Kim (49, female)
begged desperately to a "withdrawal officer"-someone she did not know personally, whose profile picture was a cryptocurrency Bitcoin logo.
This happened after Kim transferred 11,631,200 won to the withdrawal officer.
"What on earth are you doing?"
The withdrawal officer became angry at Kim, who had deposited a large sum of money.
Kim repeatedly apologized, hoping for leniency.
"I can't get any more money. I'll do it right this time. Please give me another chance."
Ms. Kim Daeun (49, female) fell victim to a side job scam last August. Despite Ms. Kim's pleas, the "withdrawal officer" instead scolded her. Photo by Kim
원본보기 아이콘The withdrawal officer, calling it a "chance," presented Kim with another bill-18,756,300 won.
Her bank balance was just 240 won, making it impossible to pay any more. Her hands were trembling uncontrollably.
In her panic, she quickly took her medication for panic disorder.
How did she end up so cornered? Kim recalled what had happened three days earlier.
After Losing 500 Million Won to Fraud, She Found a 'Handcraft Side Job' on Social Media
On August 14, Kim was resting at her home in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul.
Until the end of last year, Kim had been running a clothing sales business,
but she had to give it up after being defrauded of 500 million won by an acquaintance.
To make matters worse, in July, Kim fractured her knee while exercising.
After losing 500 million won and lying at home, she felt uncomfortable under her husband's gaze.
Ms. Kim Daeun (49, female) quit her side job last August through Instagram. When she contacted to start a side job, she was offered a "video side job." Provided by Ms. Kim
원본보기 아이콘At that time, she came across a video on Instagram, a social networking service. It was called the 'handcraft side job'.
It explained that you could earn money from home by doing simple manual tasks such as assembly and packaging.
Confident in her dexterity, Kim contacted them via the Line messenger app, hoping to earn some pocket money.
"Hello. If you tell me your age, I can introduce you to a side job."
An account called 'OO Handcraft' kindly introduced her to two side jobs.
One was handcraft production, the other was a promotional side job.
The handcraft side job involved packaging dolls, paying 1,000 won per piece.
The products would be delivered to her home, and after packaging, they would be collected.
She then asked about the promotional side job, which was even simpler.
Instead of promoting products on social media, all she had to do was watch the videos they sent and take screenshots.
Kim said she would do both the doll packaging and promotional side jobs.
The OO Handcraft account then instructed her to install a new application.
It was a chat app called 'Zunvex'.
They Promised Doll Packaging After Completing Video Missions, Luring Her to 'Invest'
Ms. Da-eun Kim (49, female) contacted a side job company and was told that to do side jobs using an application called "Zunvex," she had to complete mission quotas such as video side jobs. Provided by Ms. Kim
원본보기 아이콘After joining Zunvex, she was contacted by a manager named 'Park OO'. The manager said she had to complete missions before receiving the doll packaging tasks.
All she had to do was take screenshots of the videos sent to her and submit them.
In three hours, Kim captured and sent four videos provided by the manager, earning 11,000 won.
The money was immediately deposited into Kim's account.
"This is the work plan for VIPs. There are 15 tasks every day."
That evening at 9 p.m., the manager introduced the VIP group.
She explained that side jobs would be available every 40 minutes from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Each side job earned her about 1,000 to 2,000 won.
However, the tasks at 12 p.m., 3 p.m., and 6 p.m. were different. She could earn as much as several million won.
Daeun Kim (49, female), a victim of a side job scam, is being interviewed at a location in Seoul on the 24th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang
원본보기 아이콘The manager called the 12 p.m., 3 p.m., and 6 p.m. tasks 'high-profit team missions'.
If you invested between 50,000 and 10 million won, the principal would be 100% refunded, plus a 30-40% profit.
The tasks were simple and could be completed in just a few minutes.
Kim was tempted. She thought she could try up to 300,000 won.
At 12 p.m. on the 15th, she decided to invest 300,000 won first.
After transferring the 300,000 won, the manager gave her a mission. She had to press a specific number and either a green or red button.
Since it was her first time and she was nervous, Kim pressed a random button. Still, the manager kindly explained the process.
"If this happens again, I'll help you next time."
Her investment grew from 300,000 won to 390,000 won.
A New Mission Begins... The Victim Is Cast as the 'Culprit'
In the side job group chat that Da-eun Kim (49, female) joined last August, Kim and three others besides the manager were carrying out missions together. Provided by Kim
원본보기 아이콘At 3 p.m., Kim decided to invest a larger amount. When she said she would invest 500,000 won, the manager invited her to a new group chat.
It was the '500,000 Won High-Profit Mission Team'.
Besides Kim and the manager, there were three other team members: 'Dalkomi', 'Jung Miwon', and 'Kang Hyun'.
"If you complete the mission now, you can earn a profit."
But the manager added a frightening warning.
"If you don't complete the mission, you can't get your investment back. If you understand, reply with '1'.
"1."
Everyone replied with '1'. The team mission began.
"Go to the website, click BTC/USDT, click 120 seconds, click 500,000, click 'up', click 'confirm'."
She had to repeat this rather complicated mission three times. Still, Kim took her time to avoid making mistakes.
After completing the mission, she reported "done" as instructed.
Ms. Kim Daeun (49, female) was being scolded by team members during a video side job last August. She kept apologizing. Provided by Kim Daeun
원본보기 아이콘"Huh? It's all gone!"
Suddenly, Dalkomi and Jung Miwon, who were on the team mission with her, started angrily claiming that the money in their accounts had disappeared.
"Da-eun made a mistake." The manager pointed to Kim as the culprit.
Something felt wrong.
Even though she had clicked as instructed, the records showed she had not completed the mission correctly.
"Da-eun, are you doing this on purpose?" Jung Miwon suddenly snapped at Kim.
"Can we not do missions with beginners anymore?" Kang Hyun chimed in.
"Da-eun, are you really crazy?" Dalkomi pressed her even harder.
Above all, the manager's words made Kim's heart sink.
"If even one person makes a mistake, everyone can lose money."
Blamed by Team Members... She Borrows Money from Friends to Pay Penalties
Amid the flood of criticism from her team members, Kim could only repeat, "I'm sorry."
At this point, the manager suggested a way to recover the losses.
If she sent five times the 500,000 won-meaning 2.5 million won-they could fix the error.
Kim and the team members immediately transferred 2.5 million won to the designated account.
Ms. Kim Daeun (49, female) deposited 2.5 million won, after which the person in charge demanded an additional deposit of 7.5 million won. Provided by Ms. Kim
원본보기 아이콘But it didn't end there. The manager said they needed to send an additional 7.5 million won to quickly recover the losses.
Kim, faced with having to send even more money, questioned the manager.
But the manager replied coldly.
"After you complete this process, you can proceed with the steps to recover your investment."
The others grumbled but shared their transfer receipts, saying they had sent the 7.5 million won.
Except for Kim, everyone claimed that after sending the 7.5 million won, they got all their money back and celebrated.
Around 5:30 p.m., Kim called a friend and borrowed 10 million won.
She didn't mention the side job, only that she urgently needed the money.
She transferred 7.5 million won, believing she could finally recover her investment.
However, the manager said there was another procedure and introduced a new person.
"Hello. The total refund amount requested is 16,616,000 won. However, because the time limit has passed, you need to pay a penalty of 11,631,200 won."
The new manager, whom she had never seen before, told Kim she needed to pay over 10 million won as a penalty.
Kim was dumbfounded. But she had no choice if she wanted to recover her money.
She decided to find a way to get the money, no matter what.
Secretly Taking Out a Mortgage... The Losses Keep Growing
On the 16th and 17th, Kim stayed up all night, unable to sleep because of the money that was tied up and her guilt toward the team members.
She secretly took out a loan using her house as collateral to raise the 11,631,200 won.
Kim contacted the manager.
"If I deposit this money, will I get back everything I previously invested? I don't have to deposit any more, right?"
The manager replied that there were no additional costs and that she would receive the money within 10 to 30 minutes.
But transferring the penalty did not mean she would get her money back right away.
The manager sent another mission via a messenger link, and a new mission began immediately.
Kim hurriedly clicked the link, but nothing opened. "Withdrawal officer, please respond. The link isn't working."
"What are you doing? You're just wasting time. Do you think I have nothing else to do?"
The manager scolded Kim instead. Then, saying another error needed fixing, they demanded 18,756,300 won.
Ms. Kim Daeun (49, female) is being asked by the withdrawal officer to deposit an additional 18 million won. Provided by Ms. Kim
원본보기 아이콘Kim pleaded that she wouldn't make another mistake.
The manager, acting generous, said she only needed to pay 13,129,410 won, a 30% discount.
Kim said she had no more money and begged to at least get back what she had already paid.
She felt it was too much. But the manager just kept repeating the same thing.
"I'm sorry, but you can only get your investment back after the process is complete."
Total Loss: 24 Million Won... The Dolls Never Arrived
Daeun Kim (49, female), a victim of a side job scam, is being interviewed at a location in Seoul on the 24th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang
원본보기 아이콘Total losses: about 24 million won.
When she could no longer get any more money, Kim realized she had been scammed.
Everything felt meaningless. In early September, Kim found herself standing on the edge of her apartment rooftop after coming to her senses.
Startled, she walked down from the rooftop. Since then, she has been taking medication for depression, panic disorder, and insomnia.
What tormented Kim most was her sense of self-blame.
When The Asia Business Daily met Kim on the 14th in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, she said, "Since August, I've spent all my time blaming myself.
I can't even talk about being scammed. I'm so ashamed to have fallen for something like this."
So, did she ever receive the dolls that were supposed to be sent when she first signed up for the side job?
Kim wiped away her tears and replied.
"The dolls never came."
IndexThe Pitfall of Side Jobs
- They Promised Money for Packaging Dolls... Lost Money Without Ever Receiving the Dolls
- "100% Profit Guarantee" on SNS Is a "100% Losing Gamble"
- Side Job Scam Victims Left With Nowhere to Turn... Ultimately Give Up on Recovery
- Are Side Jobs Not Considered Voice Phishing? "Excluded If There Is a Quid Pro Quo"
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Reporter Kong Byeongseon mydillon@asiae.co.kr
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Edit Kim Boram kbram6457@asiae.co.kr
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