The Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) noted on the 11th that there is a need for caution as excessive fees may be paid when using overseas agency websites instead of the official site for electronic travel authorization issuance, or cases may occur where authorization cannot be obtained at all.
The electronic travel authorization system (ETA, ESTA) allows entry without a separate visa if travel authorization is obtained online in advance.
According to the consumer agency, there were a total of 38 consumer consultations related to electronic travel authorization reported to the international transaction consumer portal in the past six months, a 4.7-fold increase compared to the same period last year. All 38 cases were related to overseas agency websites rather than the official electronic travel authorization issuance site.
Most of the affected consumers appeared to have searched for 'ESTA' and 'ETA' on the portal site, mistakenly thinking the agency sites displayed at the top were the official site, and proceeded to make payments. These agency sites used 'ESTA', 'ETA', 'VISA', and English country names in their internet addresses and constructed their website and logos to closely resemble those of the official site, causing consumers to be misled.
All consumer consultations received were related to agency sites for four countries requiring electronic travel authorization (the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia). The agency sites were charging excessive expenses of up to $195, which is 9 times the official U.S. site price of $21 (USD), and around $95 (USD) based on the official Canadian site price of $7 (CAD), which is about 18 times the official price.
Recently, there have also been cases of consumers applying for electronic travel authorization under the mistaken belief that they were on the official site, but not receiving the authorization at all. The consumer agency stated, "It is not easy to obtain refunds due to lost contact with the agency, so caution is needed regarding sites that impersonate electronic travel authorization agencies."
The consumer agency explained that the official websites of major countries operating the electronic travel authorization system, except for Canada, use internet addresses that include 'gov', which signifies 'government', so it is advisable to check this point when using a site.
Additionally, agency sites provide notices on their web pages stating that they are "not affiliated with the government," so if this phrase is present on the accessed site, it is advised to compare prices and other details with the official site before making a payment.