"I'll Make the Reservation" Taking Money and Disappearing... Extorting Tens of Millions Won in European Travel Companion Chatroom

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Mr. Kim (34) experienced a shocking incident while preparing for a trip to Iceland. Judging that public transportation in Iceland was not convenient, he sought travel companions on a Naver travel cafe. In a chat room with two other companions, one person said, “I have a discount code. I can book a vehicle cheaper than the regular price, so I will make the reservation,” and asked the others to transfer money to him.

After Mr. Kim sent the money, the companions cut off contact that same day. Mr. Kim said, “I transferred the money without suspicion because they showed me a confirmation email that the reservation was complete,” and added, “When I posted on the travel cafe that I had been scammed, many others reported similar cases.”

Group chat room of the fraud gang and victims. Provided by victims

Recently, scams where perpetrators collect deposits from people looking for travel companions abroad and then cut off contact have been rampant. Experts point out that special caution is needed, such as thoroughly verifying the identity of strangers before making any transactions.

According to the fraud information sharing site ‘The Cheat’ on the 9th, there have been 22 reported cases involving the bank account number to which Mr. Kim transferred money, with cumulative damages amounting to 26,023,204 KRW. These groups gathered travel companions by suggesting booking vehicles or accommodations together, took deposits, and then disappeared, swindling money. Victims lost anywhere from about 500,000 KRW to as much as 1,300,000 KRW through this method.

Another victim, Ms. Lee (29), said, “Before meeting the travel companion in person, I checked a copy of their passport,” and added, “I didn’t want to have an uncomfortable relationship before the trip, so I didn’t ask for any other information and transferred the money immediately.” Mr. Yoon (26) appealed, “They showed me a confirmation email that the reservation was complete, so I had no choice but to trust them. A few days later, the person who booked the travel product suddenly claimed to have been in a traffic accident and sent me a photo. I realized I had been scammed only after discovering that the photo was fake.”

Currently, the Jeonju Wansan Police Station in Jeollabuk-do is investigating the group on charges of fraud. A police official explained, “We sent the suspect arrested for travel companion fraud to the prosecution last November, but since then, many similar cases have been reported, and investigations are ongoing.”

Experts emphasize the importance of thoroughly verifying the identity of the other party before sending money to strangers. Professor Kim Young-sik of the Department of Police Science at Seowon University pointed out, “Just identifying the criminal can put pressure on them as a subject of investigation,” and added, “You must exercise thorough caution, such as cross-verifying IDs and bank accounts.”

Professor Lee Geon-su of the Department of Police Science at Baekseok University also said, “As our society diversifies, the forms of fraud are becoming more varied, but the essence does not change. It is about deceiving the other party to obtain money,” and urged, “Especially in transactions between individuals, the risk is greater than when dealing with companies or organizations, so you must recognize this and proceed with caution.”