One consumer thought they were buying a set of functional dentures after seeing an advertisement on YouTube, paying 59,000 won ($42) through an online retailer. But what arrived 10 days later was little more than a toy — a thin plastic model of teeth and silicone pellets.
The case is one of the growing number of consumer complaints involving overseas online retailers accused of promoting products using false or exaggerated ads on YouTube.
A total of 359 consumer complaints involving overseas retailers accessed through YouTube ads were filed in the first half of this year, the Korea Consumer Agency and the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center said Wednesday.
Of the total, 142 were filed in June, more than 4.6 times the 31 recorded in January.
False or exaggerated advertising and refusals to provide full refunds or allow order cancellations were the most common types of complaints in the first half, each accounting for 24 percent. Sellers becoming unreachable, including websites being shut down, accounted for 21.7 percent. Delivery issues followed at 13.4 percent and excessive return shipping charges at 11.4 percent.
Clothing and fashion items accounted for more than half of the complaints at 63.2 percent. Furniture and household goods followed at 11.1 percent and health and hygiene products at 10.6 percent.
A photo shows a fleece-lined pant a consumer ordered after seeing an advertisement on YouTube, left, and the actual pants they received, which had no fleece lining.KOREA CONSUMER AGENCY
The average amount lost was about 70,000 won per case, while transactions worth less than 100,000 won accounted for 88.9 percent of all cases.
The cases were concentrated among middle-aged and older consumers, who tend to be less familiar with digital transactions.
Among 339 cases in which the consumer’s age was confirmed, people in their 50s accounted for 34.8 percent and those aged 60 and older for 30.4 percent. Together, consumers aged 50 and older accounted for 65.2 percent of the cases.
The scams appear to target middle-aged and older consumers who have increasingly turned to video platforms but may make purchases without thoroughly checking seller information or return policies, according to the consumer agency.
The Seoul city government and the Korea Consumer Agency advised consumers not to make purchases based solely on YouTube advertisements and to first check seller identification information listed at the bottom of shopping websites, whether they are asked to provide a personal customs clearance code, whether payment is made in a foreign currency and the terms for returns and refunds.
They also recommended keeping screenshots of transaction records and advertisements as evidence. Consumers were also advised to request payment cancellations through credit card companies’ chargeback services, which allow them to dispute overseas transactions in cases of fraud, nondelivery or refused refunds.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
