제 14 호 Hot Secondhand Market, Growing Fraud Crime
Kicker: SOCIETY (SECOND-HAND MARKET)
Hot Secondhand Market,
Growing Fraud Crime
By Sol-Hyang Park, Editor-in-chief
Have you ever used “Daangn Market”? It is a well-known representative second-hand market app. Not only adults, but also children are using it skillfully. Recently, the secondhand market has grown to 20 trillion won. However, as the market grows, its fraud methods are also growing and evolving in various ways.
Rampant Secondhand Fraud
Referring to the above data, we can see as the secondhand market is rapidly growing, and the amount of fraud damage has also increased rapidly – It is expected to be worth around 90 billion won, three times higher than five years ago., Although the Daangn market with more than 21 million users is mainly a market for direct dealing (buying & selling face to face), there are many victims as new frauds increase. Like this, fraud is so prevalent, anxiety about fraud grows even though you can buy things cheaply.
However, if you are aware of the most & new types of fraud and how to prevent fraud, you will be able to make safe and happy deals when using various secondhand platforms such as Daangn market, Bungaejangter, and Joonggonara. Let's find out step by step.
The Most Common Type of Fraud
1. Selling expensive goods cheaply
This fraud usually occurs in furniture or home appliances, which are difficult to get and have a thick fan base. For example, there was a posting selling a set of Smeg ovens (original price : 2 million won ) for 600,000 won. Then a person, tempted by the price, deposited it, but the seller was out of contact. It's a method of selling by enticing the buyer.
There are also frauds that “pretend” to be expensive and sell it cheaply. For example, someone sells a 400,000 won fan for 100,000 won, but it was a 40,000 won Chinese fan. In fact, he disguised as if the product was being sold at a high price by deliberately raising the price after registering the discontinued product as a Naver business operator.
2. Selling defective items
The seller hides the problem with the product and sells it. In this case, usually there are defects where it is difficult to check. For example, I bought used sneakers and the soles were rotten, or I bought a computer monitor and when I turned it on, the screen was severely damaged.
3. Inducing paying in advance
It is a method of losing contact after inducing a prepayment by making buyers urgent. They induce prepayment in this way : "Someone else said they'd buy it now." "Someone else said he would send the whole price" "If it's hard to make the whole deposit now, you can do it separately. You can do the rest when I bring it to you."
4. Delivery fraud
It is the case of sending another item by delivery. It is also the reason why the Daangn market that uses direct dealing has emerged, as there is so much delivery fraud in secondhand platforms such as Joonggonara or Bungaejangter. It is not often in the Daangn market, but it still happens.
New Types of Fraud
Over time, fraud methods are becoming more sophisticated. Let's take a look.
1. Third-party fraud
Three-party fraud is a fraud that causes two victims, the seller and the third party. Let's assume original seller A, scammer B, third party(buyer) C. B copies A's sales post and posts it as if he is selling it. Then C contacts B after seeing B's post and B induces C to pay in advance.In this way, C makes a prepayment into the A's account that B obtained by pretending to purchase from A. Eventually, C thinks he made a deposit to B, but he actually made a deposit to A. In this way, B swindles by pretending to deposit to A with C’s money and receives the goods from A. Of course, this can be transformed in various ways, such as B giving C his account number, get C’ s money, and lose contact.
2. Naver Pay Fraud
It is a method of inducing payment using the “Naver Pay safety transaction system.”The seller gives an external link, inducing safe transactions. In fact, the link was a fake link, leading to a page of a cloning site which seems to do a Naver Pay safety transaction.
3. Running away without paying
It is literally a method of running away with the goods while dealing face to face, or secretly taking items hung on the doorknob in a non-face-to-face dealing that has increased due to COVID-19.
How to Prevent Secondhand Fraud
Secondhand dealing does not fall under the Consumer Protection Act, so it results in more damage. How can we avoid fraud as much as possible?
1. Check specific dealing information and refuse to pay in advance
You need to approach suspiciously to members who have just joined and have not had any dealing history. You should check their dealing details and reviews. Also, avoid sellers that induce prepayment since there is a high possibility that he will take out the hearts of those who want to purchase with nice talk and lose contact after depositing.
2. Check thoroughly in case of direct dealing
If you purchased it face to face, it is difficult to establish a "crime of fraud" no matter how defective the product is. – Due to the nature of direct dealing, the police believe that they purchased goods after checking. Therefore, in order to check the product properly, it is recommended to trade in the daytime rather than at night. In case of electronic products, trade in places like cafes because you have to turn it on and check. If you sell things, it is recommended to trade in a crowded place so that a buyer cannot easily run away, without paying.
4. Save screenshots of Product Description
Take screenshots describing the product, such as 'Grade A,’ 'It works well,’ 'We have all the components,’ and save them. This can help you get a refund or declaration when you get a product very different from what you expected.
In addition, do a lot of searches of secondhand items you want to buy, such as what price they are actually selling, and make wise consumption. If you can't trade directly and there are many risks, even if you really want to buy a secondhand item, it's also a way to give up boldly and buy a new product.
The fraud methods of second-hand dealing are becoming more diverse and complex. Buyers get scammed while thinking "Will I really be the one?" Always be alert to the possibility that I might get scammed, and hope to make a wise secondhand deal.
Sources
https://zdnet.co.kr/view/?no=20220412165806
http://nowon.newsk.com/front/news/view.do?articleId=ARTICLE_00018658
https://news.mt.co.kr/mtview.php?no=2022051523310032303
