It carried a well-known travel agency or store name,
but it was an impersonation

Schemes seen frequently of late

Events such as "Earn reward points just for writing a travel review" or "Cash refund for unused mileage" are advertised through social media ads or text messages. At first, the reward points actually come in, but soon tasks such as rebooking or team missions are attached, leading to demands that you put money in first. It looks like an event, but the structure is the same as a team-mission scam.

Fake online stores post absurdly low prices on screens identical to the real ones and steer you to bank transfer instead of card payment. If you hear explanations such as "The card company is under maintenance" or "We give a bigger discount for cash," you should be suspicious.

Because it looks like a goods transaction, payment suspension may be blocked

Fraud disguised as online store payments or product purchases may be seen as an "act disguised as the supply of goods" under the relevant special act (the Special Act on the Prevention of Telecommunications-Based Financial Fraud and Refund of Fraudulently Obtained Assets), so payment suspension and damage refunds may not be available. If the bank did not accept your damage relief application, this is likely the reason.

In this situation, the realistic way to recover is to provisionally attach the account holder's assets and file a damages lawsuit.

A travel agency impersonation case handled by DAEON Law Firm

The victim trusted a review event and mileage refund notice from an organization posing as a major travel agency, took out a card loan, and sent about KRW 49.09 million. We held the account holders who handed over their account information liable for negligently assisting the fraud, and the court awarded the full KRW 51,919,400, consisting of the loss plus compensation for non-economic damages, along with late-payment damages at 12% per year and all litigation costs.

The order of things to do

1. Stop sending money and reportNotify the bank and 112, and also inform the official customer center of the company whose name was used.
2. Save the ads and sitesKeep the ads you saw, the address of the store you visited, and the screens that explained the payment method. Fake sites disappear quickly.
3. Provisional attachment and a damages lawsuitAfter freezing the account holders' assets, we pursue the claim through a lawsuit.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Written on the basis of Korean statutes in force (National Law Information Center, Ministry of Government Legislation) and court precedents as of October 20, 2026. Results may differ with amendments to the law or the facts of each case. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Written and reviewed by Attorney Dongwoo Shin — Ph.D. in Law; certified criminal law specialist and certified divorce law specialist registered with the Korean Bar Association. He handles each case personally from consultation to judgment. About the attorney →
Last updated October 20, 2026