[Editor’s Note] We aim to go a step further. The investigative team at Aju Economy, 'Balpum,' consists of reporters in their 20s and 30s who engage directly with people to record their voices and experiences. We track all aspects of life, including economy, industry, politics, society, real estate, and culture. Issues have always existed but often remain hidden and unreported. 'Balpum' seeks to reveal the unseen and amplify unheard voices through persistent inquiry. We will walk to places readers cannot reach.
"Now I take a deep breath before answering the phone"
New business owners, eager to start fresh, are becoming targets for advertising agencies that impersonate official marketing firms. These scammers exploit the anxiety of new entrepreneurs to lure them into high-cost contracts.
On June 5, the Aju Economy investigative team met with Im Da-eun, the 31-year-old owner of a café called 'Seung-ryong's House' in Gangdong-gu, Seoul. On the very first day of her café's opening, she received a phone call that resulted in a charge of 2,376,000 won. After two months of fighting against the company's attempts to avoid refunds and delay the process, she finally received a full refund.
The incident began on the day Im opened her café in March. Within a minute of registering her business location and phone number on 'Naver Place,' she received a call from a marketing agency claiming to be an 'official Naver agency.' They promised to ensure her café appeared at the top of search results for terms like 'Gangdong-gu café' and 'Cheonho-dong café.'
Having just completed her military service, Im was anxious about her sales and managing the café. The agency exploited this vulnerability, insisting, "You can't afford to skip advertising at the start," and "Are you going to quit after just a year of running the café?" They pressured her into signing a contract.
While she only partially understood their rapid explanations, Im ended up providing her credit card information. At the end of the call, they also requested her Naver ID and password. Feeling uneasy, she clearly stated, "Please do not proceed with anything," and hung up. However, the calls from the agency continued throughout the day.
A group chat was even created that included Im and the agency staff. Despite her repeated refusals to contract during her commute home, the payment had already been processed. After a chaotic first month of opening, Im checked her credit card statement and found the payment had been deducted. An email she received after the transaction included a 'registration confirmation' document, indicating a three-year contract with a total amount of 2,376,000 won.
Im had not even received a detailed explanation of the services. The agency sent the contract, labeled as a 'registration confirmation,' only after the payment was completed. When she protested, the agency delayed their response and tried to stall. After continued demands for a refund, they offered to refund her minus a 20% cancellation fee. Im argued that she had not received any services and could not pay a cancellation fee, eventually securing a promise for a '100% refund.'
However, the refund never materialized. The agency cited their internal system as a reason to delay until the 15th of the following month. By the end of April, they unilaterally deposited only the amount minus a 20% cancellation fee, citing an 'advertising setup fee' that Im had never heard of.
When she protested again, the representative claimed, "I am just a marketing staff member and do not have the authority in the system," and transferred her call to a supervisor. The new staff asked Im to explain her situation from the beginning. They then suggested, "Let’s settle amicably with a 10% cancellation fee."
Im expressed her anger not just over the amount but also over the agency's handling of the situation. She sent a formal notice to the agency and filed a complaint with the Korea Consumer Agency's Consumer Dispute Mediation Committee. However, the committee's decisions lack enforcement power, making it difficult to execute if the agency refuses. The credit card company also expressed reluctance, stating that they cannot cancel online advertising expenses on their own.
Im found a breakthrough through a complaint to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). She detailed the circumstances of the surprise charge and the credit card company's lack of proactive support. The pressure from the FSS on the credit card company, in turn, pressured the advertising agency. Only then did the agency begin to take action, and by May, Im received the remaining amount back after filing her complaint with the FSS at the end of April.
Throughout her ordeal, Im suffered from intense feelings of self-blame. She said, "I felt like I was at fault for being inadequate or not knowing enough, which made my hands tremble and affected my mental state. But by sharing my experience on social media, I learned that many small business owners had faced similar situations and had given up on refunds."
She advised other small business owners who have experienced similar scams to "never feel self-blame." She added, "It’s not that the owners are lacking; it’s that they are ruthless. If you keep fighting, you will definitely get your money back."
Im emphasized the importance of recording all calls with the agency. She stated, "Having a recording that confirms a refund promise or shows that payment was made without a clear explanation is the strongest evidence for future complaints." She also suggested that utilizing complaints to the FSS could be an effective solution.
Although Im did not record the first call due to her panic, she recorded all subsequent conversations with the agency. She documented everything from the promise of a '100% refund' to the calls where she pressed for details after they changed their story and deducted the cancellation fee.
She noted, "The recordings I collected became the strongest weapon to prove the injustice during the FSS complaint and the credit card company's clarification process," stressing the need to keep evidence from the very first call.
To reduce exposure to advertising calls, she advised separating personal mobile numbers from business phone numbers. Im explained, "If you use your personal mobile number when registering on Naver Place, agencies will save the number and bombard you with messages day and night, wearing you down."
She continued, "Since you have to answer all calls from unknown numbers, it’s safer to have a separate landline or dedicated business number." After her experience with the advertising agency, Im has also changed her phone habits. When she receives calls from unknown numbers, she no longer rushes to answer. Instead, she takes a moment to breathe and check her recording before responding.
This in-depth investigative report tracking the deceptive practices of advertising agencies targeting small business owners will continue in '[Aju Investigative Report] "Advertising Costs 0 Won" but Scamming Hundreds of Thousands of Won... Advertising Agencies Preying on Small Business Owners.'
New business owners, eager to start fresh, are becoming targets for advertising agencies that impersonate official marketing firms. These scammers exploit the anxiety of new entrepreneurs to lure them into high-cost contracts.
On June 5, the Aju Economy investigative team met with Im Da-eun, the 31-year-old owner of a café called 'Seung-ryong's House' in Gangdong-gu, Seoul. On the very first day of her café's opening, she received a phone call that resulted in a charge of 2,376,000 won. After two months of fighting against the company's attempts to avoid refunds and delay the process, she finally received a full refund.
The incident began on the day Im opened her café in March. Within a minute of registering her business location and phone number on 'Naver Place,' she received a call from a marketing agency claiming to be an 'official Naver agency.' They promised to ensure her café appeared at the top of search results for terms like 'Gangdong-gu café' and 'Cheonho-dong café.'
Having just completed her military service, Im was anxious about her sales and managing the café. The agency exploited this vulnerability, insisting, "You can't afford to skip advertising at the start," and "Are you going to quit after just a year of running the café?" They pressured her into signing a contract.
While she only partially understood their rapid explanations, Im ended up providing her credit card information. At the end of the call, they also requested her Naver ID and password. Feeling uneasy, she clearly stated, "Please do not proceed with anything," and hung up. However, the calls from the agency continued throughout the day.
A group chat was even created that included Im and the agency staff. Despite her repeated refusals to contract during her commute home, the payment had already been processed. After a chaotic first month of opening, Im checked her credit card statement and found the payment had been deducted. An email she received after the transaction included a 'registration confirmation' document, indicating a three-year contract with a total amount of 2,376,000 won.
Im had not even received a detailed explanation of the services. The agency sent the contract, labeled as a 'registration confirmation,' only after the payment was completed. When she protested, the agency delayed their response and tried to stall. After continued demands for a refund, they offered to refund her minus a 20% cancellation fee. Im argued that she had not received any services and could not pay a cancellation fee, eventually securing a promise for a '100% refund.'
However, the refund never materialized. The agency cited their internal system as a reason to delay until the 15th of the following month. By the end of April, they unilaterally deposited only the amount minus a 20% cancellation fee, citing an 'advertising setup fee' that Im had never heard of.
When she protested again, the representative claimed, "I am just a marketing staff member and do not have the authority in the system," and transferred her call to a supervisor. The new staff asked Im to explain her situation from the beginning. They then suggested, "Let’s settle amicably with a 10% cancellation fee."
Im expressed her anger not just over the amount but also over the agency's handling of the situation. She sent a formal notice to the agency and filed a complaint with the Korea Consumer Agency's Consumer Dispute Mediation Committee. However, the committee's decisions lack enforcement power, making it difficult to execute if the agency refuses. The credit card company also expressed reluctance, stating that they cannot cancel online advertising expenses on their own.
Im found a breakthrough through a complaint to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). She detailed the circumstances of the surprise charge and the credit card company's lack of proactive support. The pressure from the FSS on the credit card company, in turn, pressured the advertising agency. Only then did the agency begin to take action, and by May, Im received the remaining amount back after filing her complaint with the FSS at the end of April.
Throughout her ordeal, Im suffered from intense feelings of self-blame. She said, "I felt like I was at fault for being inadequate or not knowing enough, which made my hands tremble and affected my mental state. But by sharing my experience on social media, I learned that many small business owners had faced similar situations and had given up on refunds."
She advised other small business owners who have experienced similar scams to "never feel self-blame." She added, "It’s not that the owners are lacking; it’s that they are ruthless. If you keep fighting, you will definitely get your money back."
Im emphasized the importance of recording all calls with the agency. She stated, "Having a recording that confirms a refund promise or shows that payment was made without a clear explanation is the strongest evidence for future complaints." She also suggested that utilizing complaints to the FSS could be an effective solution.
Although Im did not record the first call due to her panic, she recorded all subsequent conversations with the agency. She documented everything from the promise of a '100% refund' to the calls where she pressed for details after they changed their story and deducted the cancellation fee.
She noted, "The recordings I collected became the strongest weapon to prove the injustice during the FSS complaint and the credit card company's clarification process," stressing the need to keep evidence from the very first call.
To reduce exposure to advertising calls, she advised separating personal mobile numbers from business phone numbers. Im explained, "If you use your personal mobile number when registering on Naver Place, agencies will save the number and bombard you with messages day and night, wearing you down."
She continued, "Since you have to answer all calls from unknown numbers, it’s safer to have a separate landline or dedicated business number." After her experience with the advertising agency, Im has also changed her phone habits. When she receives calls from unknown numbers, she no longer rushes to answer. Instead, she takes a moment to breathe and check her recording before responding.
This in-depth investigative report tracking the deceptive practices of advertising agencies targeting small business owners will continue in '[Aju Investigative Report] "Advertising Costs 0 Won" but Scamming Hundreds of Thousands of Won... Advertising Agencies Preying on Small Business Owners.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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