Online SNS advertising fraud

[Anchor]

Not just half price, but an 80% discount; it certainly catches the eye.

On top of which, it's a well-known brand.

It turns out that it was a fake site impersonating the brand.

Victims are emerging one after another.

Kim Chae-rin reports.

[Report]

An online shopping mall for a sportswear brand advertised an 80% discount.

They even displayed a notification badge claiming to be a trustworthy store, but in fact, it was a fake site impersonating the brand.

Ms. A accessed this fake shopping mall through an Instagram ad last year.

Claiming to clear out stock, they were selling products originally priced over 100,000 won for just over 10,000 won.

[Ms. A/Victim of an impersonating shopping mall/Voice Altered: "In a situation where I really liked the brand and wanted to buy it, but was in hesitation because the price was too high..."]

She ordered three pieces of clothing and received an order confirmation email, but the items were never delivered.

[Ms. A/Victim of an impersonating shopping mall/Voice Altered: "It kept saying that the items were in preparation for delivery. I even sent an email, but there was no response."]

The number of consultation cases related to impersonating shopping malls at the Korea Consumer Agency has steadily increased, surpassing 1,000 cases in 2023.

This seems to be due to the increased exposure of related ads on social media.

[Ms. B/Victim of another impersonating shopping mall/Voice Altered: "I thought the site that was trending on (SNS) was obviously the official site... I had actually connected to the official site and made a purchase before."]

If what seems like the official brand site, showing almost identical address, representative name, and product display to the brand's official shopping mall, but offers a discount of over 70%, it should be treated with suspicion.

[Kim Hye-jin/Team Leader, Consumer Counseling Team, Korea Consumer Agency: "If you look closely at the shopping mall, the business information such as the address and representative's name, as well as contact information, there's something missing."]

If you have already been a victim, you can get a refund by requesting a transaction cancellation from your card company within 120 days of the payment.

However, since such impersonating shopping malls can suddenly disappear, it is important to capture your purchase history on the website in advance.

This is KBS News, Kim Chae-rin.