"Too Ashamed to Tell My Family"... Experts Share How to Respond to Side Job Scams [The Pitfalls of Side Jobs]⑤

"Investigative and Legislative Responses Inevitably Slow"
"Side Job Posts Should Be Labeled as Potential Scam Risks"

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

Experts agree that as side job scams spread mainly through social networking services (SNS), platforms must take social responsibility by introducing countermeasures such as adding warning messages about scam risks to posts. They also advise victims that, upon realizing they have been scammed, it is crucial to inform those around them and law enforcement as soon as possible, rather than blaming themselves or avoiding the issue, in order to prevent further damage.

A woman who was a victim of a side job scam is being interviewed on the 24th at a location in Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

On December 2, Kim Dowoo, professor of police studies at Kyungnam University, identified the most significant characteristic of side job scams as the criminals' rapid response speed. Professor Kim stated, "The response speed of investigative or legislative agencies to online fraud is inevitably slow," adding, "Crackdowns must predict future crimes rather than respond to current or past incidents, but this is not easy, which leads to extensive damage."

He also expressed concern that, unlike in the past, side job scams now target all age groups. Professor Kim explained, "Previously, side job scams focused on the elderly, but now they have moved online. The Cambodia kidnapping case and others show that both young and middle-aged adults are targeted by employment and side job scams. The scope of online fraud victims is extremely broad."

"Side job scam victims are those responsible for supporting their families"

The fact that more people are susceptible to side job scams as the economy worsens is also contributing to the increasing damage. According to the Statistics Korea Economically Active Population Survey, as of May this year, the number of people with side jobs reached about 650,000. Koo Jungwoo, professor of sociology at Sungkyunkwan University, said, "Victims of side job scams are people who are responsible for supporting their families and suffer from the pressure to survive," adding, "Because they are in unstable situations, it can be difficult for them to make completely rational and logical decisions." He continued, "Side job scams are crimes that exploit these vulnerable emotions and are fundamentally different from scams that target people seeking to get rich quickly."

Because they are victimized in already difficult economic circumstances, side job scam victims tend to blame themselves and keep the incident to themselves. However, experts encourage prompt action in such situations. The longer victims remain isolated after being scammed, the less likely they are to recover their losses. Professor Kim said, "Victims of side job scams tend to think the fault lies with their own mistakes or ignorance and do not inform those around them, instead blaming themselves," adding, "However, notifying others and law enforcement and seeking help quickly is essentially the first rule for recovering from scam damage."

On the 27th, citizens visiting the Jungang Community Financial Integrated Support Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, applied for loans from a small living expense loan product that offers up to 1 million won with an annual interest rate of up to 15.9%. Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

Experts emphasize that institutional reforms are needed to help victims of side job scams recover quickly. Among these, the top priority is improving systems related to victim restitution. Lee Yoonho, professor of police administration at Dongguk University, said, "In the past, voice phishing and general fraud were distinguished because transactions between equals could not be lumped together with voice phishing," adding, "However, looking at recent side job scams, it is hard to say that victims and perpetrators are on equal footing."

He further stated, "When the Special Act on Prevention of Telecommunications Financial Fraud and Refund of Damages to Victims (Telecommunications Fraud Damage Refund Act) was enacted in 2011 to provide relief for voice phishing victims, such cyber fraud crimes were rare," adding, "It is clear that the number of side job scam victims will increase in the future, and considering that criminal policy should prioritize victims, improvements to related systems are necessary."

"No one takes responsibility for side job scams on platforms like SNS"

Above all, experts unanimously point to the need to strengthen the responsibility of platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. If there are practical difficulties in investigation, platforms themselves should at least take active steps to reduce related scam damage. Professor Lee criticized the current situation, stating, "Platforms are allowing scam victims and perpetrators to continue to coexist in SNS spaces." He said, "At the very least, platforms should take basic measures such as monitoring posts related to side job scams, but no one is taking responsibility. Platforms must strengthen measures to prevent potential perpetrators from operating."

Professor Kim also said, "Scam victims are increasing due to deepfake (AI-based image synthesis technology that overlays one photo or video onto another to make it look real) and deep voice (AI-based voice synthesis technology that makes voices sound like someone else's), and platforms must review whether they are fulfilling their responsibilities in properly labeling such content," adding, "For posts related to side jobs, a solution could be to include a warning that they may lead to scam damage."