"Don't Buy Half-Price Lululemon"... Consumer Agency Shuts Down 9 Counterfeit Shopping Malls

Difficult to Distinguish Official Website
Beware of Deep Discount Advertisements
Request Chargeback Service Immediately Upon Confirming Damage

# On the 4th, Mr. A saw an Instagram advertisement selling 'lululemon' sportswear at a low price and accessed the shopping mall to purchase shorts and other items for 94,432 KRW. Later, when the actual payment amount differed from the purchase amount, he contacted customer service but was told that the order could not be confirmed. Upon investigation, it was found to be an overseas shopping mall listing the same customer service contact as the official lululemon mall.

Incidents of impersonating the famous sportswear brand 'lululemon' are increasing. Fraudulent overseas shopping malls are rising, which lure customers by advertising discounted products but do not provide delivery or refunds.

The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 17th that it collaborated with lululemon, a domestic brand partner, to identify suspicious fraudulent sites and publicly disclosed them on the International Trade Consumer Portal. The nine sites confirmed so far have been shut down.

Most affected consumers were confirmed to have accessed the overseas shopping malls through Instagram advertisements. An analysis of 18 consultation cases received on the International Trade Consumer Portal from the 1st to the 15th of last month revealed that some of these shopping malls had domains similar to the official lululemon mall (shop.lululemon.com, lululemon.co.kr), as well as very similar intro videos, product compositions, and photos. The Consumer Agency urged, "Since it is easy to mistake these for the official mall, consumers need to exercise special caution."

Meanwhile, consumer damages related to purchasing famous brand products through social network service (SNS) advertisements continue to occur. The Consumer Agency stated, "Overseas shopping malls offering products at prices significantly lower than the normal price are suspected to be fraudulent sites," and advised, "It is necessary to check for any damage cases through the International Trade Consumer Portal and internet searches."

In cases where products are not delivered for a long period (over 30 days) or different products from those purchased are delivered, consumers can apply for chargeback services with their credit (or debit) card company by providing supporting documents. The chargeback service can be requested within 120 or 80 days from the purchase date through the credit card company.

Consumers who have suffered damages related to overseas shopping malls can apply for consultation on the International Trade Consumer Portal by attaching proof such as payment details and damage materials.