'Detectives' Trade Secrets' uncovers the details of a new 'group purchase scam' that occurred in an online community with about 700 members.
In the Channel A entertainment program 'Detectives' Trade Secrets' airing on the 4th, a client who claims to be a victim of a 'eating and running scam' in a group purchase community visits the Owl Detective Team.
The client stated that they deposited 60,000 won after seeing a post in an online group purchase community that advertised '2kg Hanwoo gift set for sale at a low price', which is usually priced at 200,000 to 250,000 won. They did not suspect anything as there were many positive reviews and the number of members was not small. When the client requested a photo of the actual Hanwoo, the seller promptly sent it, reassuring them.
However, after waiting for the delivery that never arrived, the client inquired about the shipping status only to find themselves suddenly forced out of the community, with re-registration blocked. The community's forced exit policy meant that all chat history, which could have served as evidence of the scam, was lost.
Believing they had been scammed, the client immediately contacted the bank's customer service to request a refund, stating, "I sent the money by mistake, please return it." However, they received an unclear response stating, "The refund request was denied as it was a legitimate receipt," raising further questions.
Amidst this, another victim who had also been scammed by the same seller emerged, shocking everyone. This victim, upon realizing they had been scammed, also requested a refund for the mistaken transfer from the bank, but like the client, was denied on the grounds of "legitimate receipt." It turned out that there were dozens of victims who had fallen for the same method.
Finally, with the testimonies of the victims and the persistent investigation of the Owl Detective Team, the enormous reality of the group purchase scammer began to emerge. Defconn, who was watching the case unfold, expressed disbelief, stating, "I have seen various scam cases on 'Detectives' Trade Secrets', but this type of scam is completely unprecedented."
The details of the group purchase community scam that has plunged dozens of victims into distress can be confirmed in 'Detectives' Trade Secrets' airing on the 4th at 9:30 PM.
[Lee Da-gyeom, Star Today Reporter]
