"If You Pay Cash at a Shopping Mall Instead of an Open Market, You Get a Discount"... Turns Out It's a 'Scam'

Attracting Customers with Lowest Prices on Popular Electronics at 11st and Gmarket
Seller Guides to Own Shopping Mall, Induces Cash Payment, Then Disappears

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Mr. A purchased a refrigerator from an open market in early last month. Afterwards, the seller contacted him, informing that orders placed through the open market require about a month of waiting for delivery, but if purchased through the online shopping mall they directly operate, immediate delivery is possible. Accordingly, Mr. A canceled the open market payment and paid 480,000 won via bank transfer through the online shopping mall link sent by the seller via text message. However, after that, the seller became unreachable and the product was not delivered. It was later discovered that the open market seller, the shopping mall representative, and the account holder of the transfer account were all different people, and some of the shopping mall’s business information was stolen from a well-known company.

Fraud cases have occurred where sellers listed household appliances from famous brands like Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics at the lowest prices on large open markets such as 11st, Gmarket, and Auction to lure consumers, then induced cash payments through their own shopping malls instead of the open market, and disappeared.

The Seoul Electronic Commerce Center announced on the 11th that reports and inquiries about such damages have been continuously received, revealing the methods used and urging consumers to be cautious.

According to the center, most of these companies contact consumers after they complete payment on the open market, citing reasons such as delivery delays or stock shortages, and ask consumers to cancel the open market payment. They then lure consumers by claiming that immediate delivery is possible if payment is made through their own online shopping mall. They sometimes use familiar SNS accounts and insert logos of Auction, 11st, etc., in chat windows to mislead consumers into thinking they are still on the open market.

They also claim that if consumers want to pay by card, only cash payments via bank transfer are possible due to payment fees, offering a slightly lower price than the same product listed on the open market as a discount.

However, once consumers complete the bank transfer and try to confirm delivery schedules, they cannot reach the seller. The business registration number, address, and phone number displayed on the shopping mall are confirmed to be stolen from other businesses. The shopping mall is also a foreign site with servers located in China, and most have been created only about 2 to 3 weeks ago.

In particular, these shopping malls are understood to continuously change their company names to names like "Nice Market" and "Rug Market" while opening and operating new sites.

Park Ju-seon, Seoul City’s Fair Economy Officer, said, "If the site provided by the seller only allows cash payments such as bank transfers, it is highly likely to be a fraudulent sale," and urged, "If a business operator listed on an open market contacts you individually by phone or SNS citing additional discounts or stock shortages, please refuse and report it to the open market or the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center."

The Seoul Electronic Commerce Center recommends that if you suspect the shopping mall before purchasing, check the fraud site information provided by the center through its website (ecc.seoul.go.kr) or mobile.