jasdooit

The authorities have recently advised vigilance as incidents of personal data theft and fake transactions have been reported via job advertisement posts on online resale platforms.

As reported by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) and the Korea Information and Communications Promotion Agency on the 10th, there have been several cases where personal data was compromised through specific secondhand marketplace platforms and subsequently utilized for illicit registrations on dating applications. Officials have raised alarms about possible love fraud schemes and urged users to remain more cautious.

The KCC stated that offenders attract individuals seeking part-time jobs by using recruitment advertisements with terms such as “packaging part-time work,” “temporary employment,” or “work from home.” Once applicants are directed to register on particular external websites, their personal information, including birth dates, phone numbers, and verification codes, is stolen. This information is subsequently utilized to establish fake accounts on dating applications, which may result in individuals becoming victims of romance scams.

In one instance, person A sought a part-time position following the discovery of a job advertisement on a used goods trading website. They were then redirected to a particular website for the purpose of registration. Later, they received a text message informing them about an unauthorized account creation on a dating application.

Person B, upon viewing an advertisement on social media that promised monetary reward for lending a used trading platform account, shared their account. Nevertheless, they did not get the payment they were promised and had no idea their account would be exploited for illegal purposes.

As per official reports, 178 inquiries concerning these types of incidents were submitted to the “Online Damage 365 Center” between January and October this year. Out of these, 162 people, after receiving messages about unauthorized registrations on dating platforms, quickly asked for account deletions via the center.

Moreover, there are still instances where secondhand trading accounts are loaned out under the guise of “promotional purposes” on social media platforms or in open chat groups, eventually being misused for illegal activities. Specifically, during the third quarter, from July to September, minors in their early teens unintentionally provided their personal secondhand trading accounts to others, and later approached authorities for help concerning fraud-related losses.

To avoid having your account stolen or facing issues related to renting, individuals should check the official business registration information of employers when looking for jobs through secondhand trading websites. Registrations on external websites should be viewed with caution. Additionally, users need to be alert to unauthorized sign-ups on dating apps and should inform the police about any suspected misuse of personal data when needed.