More Food Than Clothes Bought Online... Fraud Victims Increase 2.7 Times

Seoul City Announces Results of 'E-commerce Usage Survey'

Last year, the most purchased item by online shopping mall users was found to be 'food.' Compared to the previous year, fraud and deception damages in online shopping malls increased by about 2.7 times.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the results of the "2023 E-commerce Usage Status and Consumer Damage Analysis," which surveyed 2,000 consumers who used e-commerce from December 18 to 27 last year, regarding purchased items and other details, on the 24th.

The survey results showed that food (65.5%) ranked first for the first time this year as the most purchased item online. Clothing and fashion items, which were previously ranked first, followed at 58.5%. Next were daily necessities (46.7%), cosmetics (19.9%), and agricultural and marine products (17.9%) in order.

A Seoul city official stated, "Until now, food was often purchased offline at supermarkets and large marts, but recently, major telecommunication sales brokerage malls (open markets), food specialty malls, and delivery apps have been providing fast delivery services such as same-day delivery, which is analyzed to have increased consumer purchases."

The average shopping amount per transaction was recorded at 66,500 KRW. Men spent 68,900 KRW, and women spent 65,200 KRW. By age group, people in their 20s spent the most at 69,400 KRW, followed by those in their 40s at 68,100 KRW.

Last year, a total of 6,460 damage consultations were received by the Seoul E-commerce Center, a 26% decrease from 8,723 cases the previous year. However, fraud and deception damages (1,149 cases) increased 2.7 times during the same period. Damages related to reservation and booking services also increased 2.4 times. Many fraud cases involved exploiting consumers’ main purchasing pattern of price comparison by registering products at the lowest price on open markets to lure consumers, then directing them to fraudulent sites for payment due to reasons such as lack of stock.

The city advised that cases involving inducement to inquire about stock before payment, unilateral order cancellations followed by guidance to purchase on other sites, have a high possibility of fraud, and consumers should avoid transactions with open market sellers who offer excessively low prices and have no purchase reviews. Additionally, since over 90% of fraud damages use bank transfers, payments should be made using debit or credit cards, and if fraud damage occurs, consumers should immediately visit a police station to report it.

Kim Kyung-mi, the Fair Economy Officer of Seoul City, said, "Over the past year, to prevent online fraud damages, we strengthened monitoring and site blocking measures in cooperation with major domestic hosting companies," and added, "We will strive to protect consumers through cooperation with related organizations and online businesses for items with increasing consumer damages and dispute cases."