"Guaranteed 5 Million KRW Monthly with Delivery Vehicle Purchase... Zero Cases of Forced Sales Fraud Punished"

"Difficulty in Proving Fraud Charges Highlights Importance of Prevention"
Government Logistics Reporting Center Operation
Professional Consultation and Company Verification Included

Job seeker Mr. A applied to a company last month after seeing a job advertisement promising "high income of over 5 million won per month, employment at a major courier company." However, the company representative he met at the interview urged Mr. A to purchase a delivery vehicle through him to secure a good job. The representative even introduced a high-interest capital loan since Mr. A had no money. Eventually, Mr. A bought the vehicle at a price higher than the market value under the pretext of vehicle modification costs, but the company delayed job placement for several months. Unable to repay the loan, Mr. A requested a refund of the vehicle payment from the company representative, but the representative refused, citing no issues in the contract.

The government has rolled up its sleeves to prevent such forced vehicle sales scams in the courier industry. Although called forced sales scams, it is difficult to establish them as a crime under current law, so a reporting center has been opened for preventive measures.

On the 21st, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that it operates the Ministry’s Logistics Reporting Center, which can be used when forced sales scams are suspected or when it is difficult to verify whether a company is an actual courier agency entrusted with delivery work by a courier company.

Delivery vehicle appearance.

Forced vehicle sales scams in the courier industry refer to acts by recruitment companies (simple brokerage firms) unrelated directly to courier companies, promising employment at famous courier companies and guaranteed high income, while selling delivery vehicles to job seekers at inflated prices. If the job seeker lacks funds, they are induced to purchase vehicles through high-interest capital loans. Subsequently, the scam is carried out by delaying job placement.

Currently, forced vehicle sales scams are difficult to prove as fraud, making punishment practically impossible. A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official said, "If a company takes money from a job seeker but does not provide the delivery vehicle, fraud charges can be established. However, forced vehicle sales scams are cleverly conducted by providing the vehicle and some form of employment. As a result, the job seeker receives the vehicle and obtains a job, even if not high income, making it difficult to punish as fraud."

Although the number of reported cases to the Logistics Reporting Center is decreasing, there have been no cases recognized as fraud and punished. According to the Ministry, 45 damage reports were filed last year, and 17 cases were recorded from January to May this year. The Ministry official stated, "There have been no cases where punishment was actually carried out among the reported cases. There are cases where contracts are canceled and costs refunded through civil trials, but this process takes a long time. Ultimately, prevention is important, so if there is any confusion about whether it is fraud, people can always call the Logistics Reporting Center for help," he said.

To prevent forced vehicle sales scams, inquiries can be made to the Logistics Reporting Center. Simple brokerage firms unrelated to courier companies mainly commit such scams, and job seekers may find it difficult to distinguish whether the company is a simple brokerage firm or a courier agency. In such cases, inquiries to the Logistics Reporting Center allow the center to verify whether the company is a courier agency. The center also provides guidance on precautions to prevent fraud. For example, when a job seeker signs a contract with a recruitment company, the contract may only specify vehicle contract details but omit delivery locations and volumes, and the center provides guidance on such matters.

Additionally, the Ministry plans to include precautions against forced vehicle sales scams in courier vehicles in the education required when first obtaining a freight transport worker qualification starting next month.