The tax platform application app Samjeomsam is back at the center of controversy as the comprehensive income tax filing season begins. Criticism says it misled consumers with Director advertisements, and concerns are mounting over how it uses personal data and the risk of additional tax collection due to excessive refund claims.
Launched in 2020, Samjeomsam is a tax platform that links users' Hometax data to check and secure refunds based on income information and deduction records. As of last year, cumulative subscribers exceeded 23 million. However, debate has continued over aggressive marketing and operating methods, and critics say there is still room for problems.
According to the industry on the 15th, Samjeomsam used phrases such as "New refund has arrived" and "You are prioritized to check your refund amount" through last year. In Dec. last year, the Korea Fair Trade Commission deemed them Director and deceptive ads and imposed a penalty surcharge of 71 million won on the operator, Jobis&Villains Corp.
Since then, Samjeomsam has continued advertising by changing the wording to phrases like "Average expected refund 288,635 won" or "If you don't check now, you could miss an average of 280,000 won." The Korean Association of Certified Public Tax Accountants said, "We judge these as ads that may violate the corrective order, and we plan to send an official letter to Samjeomsam requesting immediate review, correction, and a reply."
Concerns over the use of personal information have also been raised steadily. Tax platforms use sensitive tax data such as users' income information and deduction records to file refund applications on their behalf. In this process, it is difficult for users to know clearly how long the information they provided once is stored and how it is used. There are also cases where ads keep being sent even though the user used the service once years ago or only checked eligibility and did not proceed.
A Samjeomsam official said, "Under the terms of consent to receive messages, we send app push notifications, emails, text messages, and KakaoTalk Alimtalk until the member withdraws unless the customer separately withdraws consent," adding, "Customers can turn off marketing message consent through their own settings."
There are also warnings about the possibility of additional tax collection due to excessive refund claims. In the first half of last year, the National Tax Service collected an additional 4.07 billion won from 1,423 people who took excessive personal exemptions on their income tax refund filings. The Korean Association of Certified Public Tax Accountants argued that if a full review is conducted, taxpayer damage through tax platforms could be much larger. It also said that, given the service structure's reliance on automated algorithms, taxpayers' specific circumstances may not be properly reflected, leading to inaccurate amended refund claims.
A slowdown in growth lies behind Samjeomsam's push for aggressive sales tactics. According to the Financial Supervisory Service's electronic disclosure system, Jobis&Villains Corp.'s 2025 revenue was 75.61633 billion won, down 12.3% from a year earlier. Operating profit fell 66.9% to 3.38276 billion won, and net profit for the period plunged 92.0% to 1.28427 billion won.
When the service launched in 2020, Samjeomsam was virtually the only tax platform on the market. But starting in 2023, competitors such as Toss Income entered one after another, and the National Tax Service introduced a free "one-click refund service" in 2024 that allows users to check and apply for refunds, dealing a blow.
Samjeomsam is seeking breakthroughs through overseas expansion and new businesses, but results remain weak. The Japan subsidiary established in 2024 had no revenue last year, and major subsidiaries including BLQ, microprotect, Luckyz, and D2Home all posted losses last year.
A Samjeomsam official said, "We plan to diversify our business into services that find customers' hidden money in various areas of everyday life, beyond tax refunds."