A purchased shorts and other items for about 90,000 won after seeing an Instagram advertisement that claimed to sell products from the famous sportswear brand Lululemon at a low price on a shopping mall. Later, A discovered that the actual payment was more than the purchase amount and contacted the Lululemon official site customer center, but received an irrelevant reply stating that the order was not confirmed.
It turned out that the place where A purchased the product was an overseas impersonation shopping mall that used the same customer center contact information as the official Lululemon site. A found themselves in a situation where they could not get a refund.
The Korea Consumer Agency noted on the 17th that there has been an increase in overseas shopping malls suspected of fraud that entice payments by advertising discounts on Lululemon products without delivering or providing refunds. From the 1st to the 15th of last month, 18 consultations were received at the International Transaction Consumer Portal.
The Consumer Agency is collaborating with Lululemon (Athlatika Korea Limited) to identify suspected fraudulent sites and has published them on the International Transaction Consumer Portal. The agency is taking action to prevent the spread of damage, having closed nine sites confirmed so far.
Most of the consultations received were confirmed to have accessed overseas shopping malls through advertisements on social networking service (SNS) Instagram. Some of the shopping malls were found to be very similar not only to the official Lululemon mall domain but also in introductory videos, product compositions, and photos.
The Consumer Agency urged, "Overseas shopping malls that offer huge discounts compared to normal prices should be suspected as fraud sites, so check for any damage cases through the International Transaction Consumer Portal and internet searches."
The Consumer Agency explained that if a product does not arrive within 30 days or if a different product is delivered, individuals who have suffered damage can apply for 'chargeback services' through their card issuer with supporting documents. Additionally, consumers who have experienced damage related to overseas shopping malls can attach purchase details, damage materials, and other supporting documents to apply for consultation at the International Transaction Consumer Portal.