Damage from Specific Brands Over 7 Months
Payments Induced Through Instagram Promotions
Beware of "vip", "sale", and "shop" in Web Addresses
There has been a growing number of scams in which fake online sites impersonate well-known clothing brands such as 'Alo', 'Stussy', and 'Wooyoungmi', luring consumers to make payments but failing to deliver products. Seoul City has issued a consumer alert regarding these scams.
According to Seoul City on September 5, a total of 137 consumer consultations related to impersonation of these clothing brands were received by the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center and the Korea Consumer Agency from January to 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 media platforms such as Instagram.
These fraudulent sites were operated overseas and sold branded products at excessively low prices. They used phrases such as "80% off," "one-day only," and "free shipping" to induce purchases. After consumers made purchases, the sites either did not respond to refund requests or cut off contact without delivering the products, resulting in consumer losses.
Additionally, these scam sites copied the brand logos, main page layouts, and product descriptions from official websites, making it easy for consumers to mistake them for legitimate sites. Instead of using standard domain extensions, they often combined brand names with words like "vip" or "sale," or used terms such as "shop," "top," "online," or "store" at the end of the web address.
Seoul City advised consumers to always verify whether an overseas shopping mall first encountered through Instagram advertisements is the official website of the brand, and to be cautious of sites that combine brand names with certain keywords. The city especially recommended using credit cards that allow for a "chargeback" request within 120 days of purchase when shopping on overseas sites. The list of fraudulent sites announced in this alert can be checked at any time on the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center website and the International Consumer Portal.
Kim Myungseon, Director of Fair Economy at Seoul City, stated, "Consumers should be wary of shopping malls advertising discounts of 60% to 90% on social media," and added, "Seoul City will continue to work with the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center and the Korea Consumer Agency to monitor and block domestic access to scam sites, in order to prevent consumer damage."
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