One in Five Internet Fraud Victims Is a Teenager... 180,000 Cases in the First Half of the Year

Damage Amount Reaches 173.8 Billion KRW... Slight Increase from Last Year
Game Item and Point Scams Enter Top Ranks
Danggeun Market Fraud Cases Surge by 75%... Junggonara Sees Decrease

In the first half of this year, the number of internet fraud cases reached 180,000, with the proportion of teenage victims approaching 20%. New types of scams targeting digital assets such as game items and points, as well as local secondhand trading platforms like Danggeun Market, are also spreading rapidly.

According to The Cheat, a financial fraud prevention platform, the total number of internet fraud cases reported in the first half of this year was 179,933, an increase of 1,181 cases (0.66%) compared to the same period last year. The amount of damages reached approximately 173.8 billion KRW, up 0.87% from the previous year (about 172.3 billion KRW).

Number of Fraud Cases and Fraud Damage Amount Trends in the First Half of the Year. The Cheat

By category, tickets and gift certificates accounted for the largest number of cases at 31,053, followed by IDs and accounts (18,628), game items (12,682), mobile phones and accessories (10,502), and points and mileage (9,007).

The Cheat stated, "It is noteworthy that damages related to game items and points/mileage have newly entered the top ranks," and explained, "This is the result of an increase in digital asset-based transactions and the development of more sophisticated fraud methods targeting them."

In terms of age distribution, those in their 20s accounted for 35.26%, those in their 30s for 26.48%, and teenagers for 19.74%, meaning that teenagers and young adults made up about 80% of all victims. Notably, the proportion of teenage victims increased by 2.54 percentage points from the previous year (17.2%), showing a clear upward trend. This suggests that teenagers, who are highly engaged in digital activities such as secondhand trading, online games, and social networking services (SNS), are at greater risk of exposure to scams.

By platform, Naver Cafe had the most cases (45,303), followed by Danggeun (23,301), KakaoTalk (22,418), X (formerly Twitter) (13,025), and Bungaejangter (9,651). In particular, cases on Danggeun increased by about 75% from 13,304 in the same period last year to 23,301, moving up two ranks in just one year. In contrast, in the case of Junggonara, the number of cases decreased by 56% after the introduction of the escrow safe payment service.