Korea Consumer Agency Urges Caution Against Consumer Scams
137 Related Complaints Filed from January to July This Year
Enticing Phrases Like "Huge Sale" and "Free Shipping" Used to Lure Buyers
"Always Verify If It Is the Official Website"
The Korea Consumer Agency announced on September 5 that there has been a surge in fake online sites impersonating well-known clothing brands such as Alo, Stussy, and Wooyoungmi, resulting in a growing number of consumer victims.
According to the Consumer Agency and the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center, a total of 137 consumer consultations related to impersonation of these clothing brands were reported between January and July this year. Of the 112 cases where the access route was identified, 93.7% (105 cases) were found to have accessed the sites through discount advertisements on social networking services (SNS) such as Instagram.
The Consumer Agency explained that these scam sites impersonating famous brands like Alo, Stussy, and Wooyoungmi were operated overseas and sold branded products at excessively low prices. Specifically, they used phrases such as "80% sale," "limited to today," and "free shipping" to entice consumers to make purchases. After a purchase, if consumers requested a refund, the operators either did not respond or cut off contact without delivering the products, resulting in consumer harm.
Additionally, these scam sites misled consumers by directly copying the official website's brand logo, main page layout, and product descriptions. They created site addresses by combining the brand name with words like "vip" or "sale," and used terms such as "shop," "top," "online," or "store" at the end of the address to lure consumers. The Consumer Agency advised, "When accessing advertisements on Instagram or visiting an overseas shopping mall for the first time, always verify whether it is the brand's official website," and warned, "Sites that combine brand names with specific words require particular caution."
When using overseas shopping malls, it is advisable to use a credit card that allows you to request a chargeback service to cancel authorized transactions in case of damage. If disputes with overseas shopping malls cannot be resolved smoothly, consumers can seek assistance from the International Transaction Consumer Portal.
The Consumer Agency stated that it will continue to cooperate with the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center to proactively monitor and implement domestic access restrictions to prevent consumer harm caused by scam sites.
Meanwhile, the list of publicly disclosed scam sites can be checked through the International Transaction Consumer Portal and the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center website.
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