YouTuber Beodeumoi Reveals His Experience
Lost 1.8 Million KRW to Taxi App Charges in Nine Transactions
A travel YouTuber warned overseas travelers after having 1.8 million KRW charged on a taxi app he never used, due to card cloning at a Chinese airport.
Travel YouTuber Beodeumoi recently uploaded a video titled "I lost 1.8 million KRW at a Chinese airport" on his YouTube channel. He tagged the video with #OverseasTravelPrecautions.
Beodeumoi, who usually spends about 1 to 1.5 million KRW per month on his card, saw a total of 3.6 million KRW charged on his card in October last year. He was even more shocked when he checked his credit card statement. While on a flight from China to Egypt, 1.8 million KRW was charged nine times through an overseas taxi app. He said, "It was even charged in British pounds," adding, "I was shocked by the absurd amount."
According to Beodeumoi’s card statement, on October 15 last year, about 1.8 million KRW was charged nine times in one-minute intervals on Uber, an overseas taxi app. He said, "I have lived abroad for seven years, but this is the first time something like this has happened." He emphasized, "The timing of the charges makes no sense. Between 2:35 and 2:36, nine charges totaling about 1.8 million KRW were made. The more surprising thing is that I was on a plane at that time. There was no way I could have taken Uber." He also added, "What kind of fool would charge 300,000 KRW multiple times on Uber? I can even prove I was on the plane."
Beodeumoi, who arrived in Korea in December last year, said he filed a dispute through the card company’s customer center. He said, "Since Uber is an overseas merchant, it takes at least 50 days and up to 90 days to resolve."
Beodeumoi suspected credit card cloning regarding the taxi app charges. He said, "Thinking carefully, on October 15, I traveled from Korea to Egypt via China (a 2-hour layover). Looking at the cloned transaction times, it was at the Chinese airport." He explained, "At that time, I tried to pay with my card at a duty-free shop to buy alcohol, but the card kept being declined. I tried several times by switching machines. I thought it was strange and ended up paying with WeChat Pay. I think the cloning happened then. My card was drained at the moment I boarded the plane."
He also shared an update on the situation. Beodeumoi said, "I filed a dispute, received a text message from the card company, and time has passed since then. It seems the card company is not in a position to give a clear answer yet. There are more cases like this than expected. If the card company’s process is slow, they said you can contact the Financial Supervisory Service. I am waiting to see how it will be resolved."
At the end of the video, Beodeumoi said, "It’s Lunar New Year, and many people are traveling abroad these days, so please be careful of card cloning." He added, "My mistake was turning off the card statement notifications, so I couldn’t respond immediately. I only found out after seeing the statement a month later. It’s best to check carefully. I made this video so others don’t have to go through this."
Netizens who heard this story commented, "Another YouTuber also had their card stolen during a trip to China. If even a few YouTubers got hacked, imagine how many ordinary people have been affected," "There are several countries where card cloning happens, but especially in China, you should never use your card," "If they encourage card payments or offer discounts through card company partnerships in China, it’s almost 100% cloning," and "Even after living in China for a long time, I don’t buy duty-free goods at the airport."
According to the Financial Supervisory Service, before traveling abroad, applying for the Overseas Usage Safety Setting service allows you to set the countries where your card can be used, the maximum amount per transaction, and the usage period, which helps prevent unauthorized overseas transactions. Also, always sign the back of your credit card, use only the necessary credit cards when traveling abroad, and keep them with you at all times. If your card is lost or stolen while traveling, report it immediately to the card company to minimize damage from unauthorized use. By subscribing to the transaction alert SMS service, you can receive real-time notifications of card approvals, enabling quick responses.
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