Direct Buyers Surprised by "Gwansecheong Imnida" Text... Beware of Phishing Scams

"Do Not Click Internet Addresses or URLs"
"Suspicious Text Messages Should Be Deleted Immediately"

As the number of overseas direct purchase shoppers increases, the Korea Customs Service recently warned that phishing scams impersonating the headquarters and customs offices to steal personal information and money are ongoing, urging caution.

Sending Texts in the Name of Korea Customs Service to Induce Installation of Hacking Apps

According to the Korea Customs Service on the 5th, phishing scammers send texts in the name of the Korea Customs Service, encouraging recipients to click on internet addresses (URLs) within the messages, which lead to phishing sites or prompt the installation of hacking apps to steal personal information.

The impersonating texts from the Korea Customs Service reportedly contain content related to customs tax payments such as 'Unpaid import tax,' 'Please process today,' 'Scheduled automatic transfer,' and 'Forced disposition,' and also request direct remittance under the pretext of needing it for product delivery. When calling the received number, scammers impersonate customs officers to induce app installation or request sensitive personal information.

In response, the Korea Customs Service emphasized the need for special caution. Kim Hyun-jung, Director of the Customs Clearance and Logistics Policy Division at the Korea Customs Service, stated, "The Korea Customs Service does not request personal information such as the Personal Customs Clearance Code or demand cash deposits for delivery fees or tax payments."

She added, "If you receive suspicious text messages, do not click on the internet address (URL) or call the sending number. Please delete the message immediately and block the number."

Increase in Domestic Direct Purchase Shoppers... Rising Popularity of China's 'AliExpress'

Meanwhile, according to the Korea Customs Service's '2022 Overseas Direct Purchase Trends,' the scale of overseas direct purchases last year was 96.12 million cases, an 8.8% increase compared to the previous year (88.38 million cases).

Among these, the popularity of Chinese direct purchase apps is steadily rising in Korea. Chinese shopping platforms such as 'AliExpress' and 'Temu' attract users by offering low prices.

In particular, AliExpress entered the Korean market in 2018, established a Korea-dedicated customer center in November last year, and this year shortened the delivery period for direct purchase products from about 1 to 2 weeks to within 3 to 5 days. Additionally, it applied free shipping and free return services to a significant number of products.

As a result, the AliExpress app's monthly active users (MAU) reached 6.13 million as of October this year, surpassing Gmarket (5.82 million) for the first time. Temu, officially launched in July, exceeded 3 million cumulative downloads within three months.