Online fraud
Stop when you hear "pay in advance" and "no meeting in person".
Common types
- Second-hand trading fraud — payment taken, goods never sent. See second-hand.
- Fake shopping sites — implausibly low prices, bank transfer only.
- Investment and crypto fraud — "guaranteed capital, high returns".
- Trading-room and side-job fraud — small returns at first, then large sums extracted.
- Romance scams — closeness online, then requests for money.
- Ticket and accommodation fraud — bookings that don't exist.
Before you buy
- Search the seller's account number and phone. Police "Cyber Safety Guard" and services like TheCheat let you check.
- Use escrow payment. Be suspicious if only bank transfer is accepted.
- Be suspicious of prices that are too low.
- Meeting in person to inspect is the safest option.
- Screenshot the conversation and the account number.
If you are defrauded
- Report online at ecrm.police.go.kr or visit a police station.
- You can also call 112.
- Ask your bank for a payment stop.
- Gather evidence — chats, transfer records, screenshots of the listing.
- Report it to the platform as well.
Where to go
- 112 police
- ecrm.police.go.kr cybercrime reporting
- 1332 Financial Supervisory Service (investment and financial fraud)
- 118 personal data breaches
- 1372 Consumer Counselling Centre (shopping disputes)
Questions people ask
It's a small amount — is it worth reporting? Report it. The same account often defrauds many people, and reports help the investigation.
It was an overseas site. Tracing may be difficult, but still report it and raise a dispute with your card issuer.
Reporting in Korean is hard. Request interpretation through 1345, or ask a migrant support organisation to come with you.
Someone contacted me offering to recover my money. That is a second scam. Never respond.
Take care
Always check the seller's account before transferring. Money is hard to recover afterwards. Pressure — "I'm in a hurry", "someone else wants it" — is a scam signal. Never send photographs of your ID.
Related
scam-types · voice-phishing · second-hand · online-shopping · personal-info-protection
Source
Korean National Police Agency cybercrime reporting ecrm.police.go.kr / As of 2026-08