Rising interior platform scams spark consumer concerns

[Anchor]

These days, many people are using intermediary platforms to find interior design companies.

However, there are increasing cases where contractors take the money and disappear.

The government has come up with measures, but consumer anxiety remains high.

Reporter Lee Do-yoon has the story.

[Report]

Yang Jeong-mi searched for an interior company to open a restaurant last May.

She connected with a company through a platform app.

[Yang Jeong-mi/Victim of Interior Fraud: "It was convenient because I could contact multiple companies at once. I didn't have to go around looking for them. The professionals come directly to the site."]

She sent 18 million won as a deposit, but no one showed up on the construction day.

The contractor was a fraud suspect wanted by the police.

[○○ Platform Customer Service/Voice Altered: "(Can we stop this person from operating now?) (Whether their activity is suspended) is personal information, so we can't provide that."]

Under current law, telecommunication sales businesses have numerous consumer protection obligations.

However, if classified as intermediaries, they are mostly exempt from these obligations.

Consumers trust the platform to choose a company, but legally, the intermediaries have almost no protective duties.

The Fair Trade Commission has decided to enter into a voluntary agreement with four interior intermediary platform companies.

If a deposit is embezzled beyond a certain threshold, they will be blocked from being exposed on the platform, and companies registered as professional construction businesses will receive a 'badge' or similar recognition.

[Jo Hong-seon/Vice Chairman of the Fair Trade Commission: "In non-face-to-face transactions, I believe that trust among market participants is the most important. I hope the intermediary market becomes a more trustworthy market."]

As consumer damage continues, this is a kind of stopgap measure, but the lack of enforceability in the agreement presents a fundamental limitation.

Consumers still have no way to know if the company has previously committed fraud or if their services were satisfactory.

This is Lee Do-yoon from KBS News.