▲ Image of a scam site screen inducing purchases
The Korea Consumer Agency has advised consumers to be cautious as there has been an increase in complaints about online sites impersonating well-known clothing brands.
According to the Consumer Agency today (5th), there have been a total of 137 consumer consultations related to impersonations of famous clothing brands such as Allo, Stussy, and Wooyoungmi from the beginning of the year until last month.
Of the 112 cases where the access path was identified, 105 cases (93.7%) involved access to the impersonation sites through discount advertisements on social networking services (SNS) like Instagram.
The impersonation sites used the brand logos, main screen layouts, and product descriptions from official websites and employed phrases like “80% sale,” “limited to today,” and “free shipping” to entice consumers to make purchases.
The site addresses were crafted by combining the brand names with words like ‘vip’ or ‘sale’, leading consumers to misunderstand them as official sites.
Investigations found that after making a purchase, when consumers requested refunds, they were either ignored or the products were not delivered, severing all communication.
The Consumer Agency emphasized, “If you come across foreign online stores through SNS advertisements or for the first time, you must verify whether they are official websites” and warned that particular caution is needed with sites combining the brand name with specific words.
They also advised using credit cards that can apply for ‘chargeback’ services to account for potential damages when using foreign online stores.
A chargeback service allows a consumer to request a transaction cancellation through their credit card company within 120 or 180 days of purchase if there are reasons such as suspected fraud, non-delivery, or non-fulfillment of a refund.
The confirmed scam sites can be verified through the International Transaction Consumer Portal and the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center website.
(Photo provided by the Korea Consumer Agency, Yonhap News)