When She Came to Her Senses, Only 240 Won Left... The Trusted Side Job Was a Scam [Pitfalls of Side Jobs] ①

Started a Side Job Hoping for Extra Income...
All That Remained Was Debt and Self-Reproach

Editor's NoteWith 650,000 people now engaged in side jobs, many who started side work to supplement their livelihoods are falling victim to scams disguised as legitimate side jobs, losing hope in the process. Side job scams are cleverly evading the scrutiny of both the government and online platforms, resulting in a growing number of victims. The Asia Business Daily is following the spread of these scams and the suffering of those affected.

Kim Daeun (49, female), a victim of a side job scam, is being interviewed at a location in Seoul on the 24th. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

"I'm sorry. Please help me."

On August 17, Daeun Kim (49, female) pleaded earnestly with a "withdrawal officer" whose identity she did not know, and who used a cryptocurrency Bitcoin as their profile picture. This happened after Kim had deposited 11,631,200 won to the withdrawal officer.

"What on earth are you doing?"

The withdrawal officer, rather than helping, became angry at Kim, who had just deposited a large sum of money. Kim kept repeating "I'm sorry," hoping for some leniency.

"I can't get any more money. I'll do it right this time. Please give me another chance."

Ms. Kim Daeun (49, female) fell victim to a side job scam last August. Despite Ms. Kim's pleas, the "withdrawal officer" instead scolded her. Photo by Kim

The withdrawal officer, calling it another chance, handed Kim another bill. This time it was 18,756,300 won. Her bank balance was only 240 won, and she simply couldn't pay any more. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably. In desperation, she found her panic disorder medication and swallowed it. How did she end up so cornered? Kim thought back to what had happened three days earlier.

A 500 Million Won Scam, Serious Injury, and Shaken Livelihood... That's When 'Hand Side Job' Caught Her Eye

On August 14, Kim was resting at her home in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul. Until the end of last year, Kim had been running a clothing sales business, but after being scammed out of 500 million won by an acquaintance, she had to close her business. Misfortune struck again: in July this year, Kim fractured her knee while exercising. Having lost 500 million won and confined to bed, she felt uncomfortable under her husband's gaze.

That's when she saw a video on Instagram, a social networking service (SNS). It was about a so-called "hand side job." The video explained that you could earn money at home by doing simple manual tasks like assembling or packaging. Confident in her dexterity, Kim decided to try and earn some pocket money and contacted them via the Line messenger app.

Ms. Kim Daeun (49, female) quit her side job last August through Instagram. When she reached out to pursue a side job, she was offered a "video side job." Provided by Ms. Kim

"Hello. If you tell me your age, I will introduce you to a side job."

An account named "OO Handicrafts" kindly introduced two side jobs. One was handicraft production, the other was a promotional side job. The handicraft side job involved packaging dolls, paying 1,000 won per item. The products would be delivered to her home, and after packaging, they would be collected. She then inquired about the promotional side job, which was even simpler. Instead of promoting products on social media, all she had to do was watch a video they sent and take a screenshot.

Kim said she would do both the doll packaging and the promotional side jobs. The OO Handicrafts account then instructed her to install a new application called "Zunvex," a chat app.

Ms. Kim Daeun (49, female) contacted a side job company that told her to install an application called "Zunvex" and complete assigned tasks such as video side jobs to qualify for the side job. Provided by Ms. Kim

After signing up for Zunvex, Kim was contacted by "Manager Park OO." The manager said that she had to complete a mission before she could receive the doll packaging work. All she had to do was capture screenshots of the videos they sent and send them back. In three hours, Kim captured and sent four videos provided by the manager and earned 11,000 won. The money was immediately deposited into her account.

"This is the work plan for VIPs. There are 15 tasks every day." At 9 p.m. that same day, the manager introduced the VIP group. Here, side jobs were carried out every 40 minutes from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. She earned about 1,000 to 2,000 won per task. However, the tasks at 12 p.m., 3 p.m., and 6 p.m. were different. For those, she could earn up to several million won at once.

Daeun Kim (49, female), a victim of a side job scam, is being interviewed at a location in Seoul on the 24th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

The manager called the 12 p.m., 3 p.m., and 6 p.m. tasks "high-profit team missions." If you invested 50,000 to 10 million won, you would get a 100% refund of your principal and an additional 30-40% profit. The tasks were simple and could be completed in just a few minutes.

Kim was tempted. She thought she could try up to 300,000 won. At 12 p.m. on the 15th, she decided to invest 300,000 won first. After transferring the money, the manager gave her a mission: she had to press a specific number and either a green or red button. Nervous because it was her first time, Kim just pressed a random button. Still, the manager kindly explained, "If this happens again, I will help you." Her investment grew from 300,000 to 390,000 won.

A New Mission Begins... The Victim Is Branded a Criminal

At 3 p.m., Kim decided to invest a larger amount. When she said she would invest 500,000 won, the manager invited her to a new group chat. It was the "500,000 won High-Profit Mission Team." The team consisted of Kim, the manager, and three other members: "Dalkomi," "Jung Miwon," and "Kang Hyun."

Ms. Kim Daeun (49, female) was carrying out missions together with three others besides herself and the manager in a side job group chat she joined last August. Provided by Kim

"If you complete the mission now, you can earn a profit."

But the manager added a frightening warning: "If you don't complete the mission, we can't return your investment. If you understand, reply with '1.'"

"1." Everyone replied with 1. The team mission began.

"Go to the homepage, click BTC/USDT, click 120 seconds, click 500,000, click up, click confirm."

The rather complicated mission had to be repeated three times. Kim, determined not to make a mistake, carried out the mission slowly and carefully. After finishing, she reported "completed" as instructed.

Ms. Kim Daeun (49, female) was being scolded by team members during a video side job last August. She kept apologizing. Provided by Ms. Kim

"What? It's all gone?" Suddenly, Dalkomi and Jung Miwon, who were on the mission team, began to complain that the money in their accounts had disappeared.

"Da-eun made a mistake." The manager pointed to Kim as the culprit. It was strange. She had followed the instructions exactly, but the records showed that she hadn't completed the mission properly.

"Da-eun, are you doing this on purpose?" Jung Miwon suddenly snapped at Kim. "Can we not do missions with beginners anymore?" Kang Hyun added. "Da-eun, are you crazy?" Dalkomi pressed her even harder.

But what struck Kim the most was what the manager said: "If even one person makes a mistake, everyone can lose money."

Driven by Guilt, the Victim Turns to Friends for Help

Amid the torrent of criticism from her teammates, Kim could only repeat, "I'm sorry." At that moment, the manager suggested a way to recover the losses: if they sent five times the original 500,000 won, or 2.5 million won, they could fix the error. Kim and the other team members immediately transferred 2.5 million won to the designated account.

But it didn't end there. The manager said they needed to send an additional 7.5 million won to quickly recover the losses. Kim, distressed at the thought of sending even more money, protested. But the manager coldly replied, "After you complete this process, you can start the procedure to recover your investment." The others, though grumbling, shared their transfer receipts for the 7.5 million won. Everyone except Kim cheered, saying they had received all their money back after sending the 7.5 million won.

Ms. Kim Daeun (49, female) deposited 2.5 million won, after which the person in charge demanded an additional deposit of 7.5 million won. Provided by Ms. Kim

Around 5:30 p.m., Kim called a friend and borrowed 10 million won. She didn't mention the side job, only that she urgently needed the money. After transferring 7.5 million won, she thought she could finally get her investment back. However, the manager said there was another procedure and brought in a new person.

"Hello. The total refund application amount is 16,616,000 won. However, since the time limit was exceeded, you need to pay a penalty of 11,631,200 won." Yet another manager, whom she had never seen before, told Kim she needed to pay over 10 million won as a penalty. Kim was stunned. But she felt she had no other choice if she wanted to get her money back. She resolved to find the money somehow.

Trapped by Penalty Fees... Losses Exceed 20 Million Won

On the 16th and 17th, Kim stayed up all night, unable to sleep because of her frozen funds and guilt toward her teammates. She secretly took out a loan using her home as collateral without her husband's knowledge to raise the 11,631,200 won. Kim contacted the manager. "If I deposit this money, will I get back everything I invested? I won't have to deposit any more, right?"

The manager replied that there would be no additional costs and that she would see the money deposited within 10 to 30 minutes.

Ms. Kim Daeun (49, female) is being asked by the withdrawal officer to deposit an additional 18 million won. Provided by Ms. Kim

But paying the penalty fee did not mean she would get her money back immediately. The manager sent another mission via a messenger link, and the new mission began right away.

Kim hurriedly clicked the link, but no window opened. "Withdrawal officer, please respond. The link isn't working."

"What are you doing? You're just wasting time. Do you think I have nothing better to do?" The manager instead scolded Kim. Then, they said she needed to pay 18,756,300 won to fix another error.

Kim pleaded that she would not make any more mistakes. The manager, acting as if doing her a favor, said she only had to pay 13,129,410 won after a 30% discount. Kim said she had no more money and begged to at least get back what she had already paid. She felt it was too much. But the manager kept repeating the same thing.

"I'm sorry, but you can only get your investment back once the procedures are completed."

All That Remains Is Debt and Shame... The Dolls Never Arrived

Daeun Kim (49, female), a victim of a side job scam, is being interviewed at a location in Seoul on the 24th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

The total amount lost was about 24 million won.

When she could no longer find any more money, Kim realized she had been scammed. Everything felt meaningless. In early September, Kim came to her senses standing at the edge of her apartment rooftop. Shocked, she walked back down. Since then, she has been taking medication for depression, panic disorder, and insomnia.

What torments Kim the most is her sense of shame. When The Asia Business Daily met her in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, on the 14th, Kim said, "Since August, I've spent all my time blaming myself. I can't tell anyone I was scammed. I'm so embarrassed that I fell for something like this."

So, did she ever receive the dolls she was promised when she first applied for the side job? Wiping away tears, Kim replied, "The dolls never came."