Secondhand Marketplace Scams in Korea 2026: Why There's No Refund Right, and How to Check thecheat.co.kr First
Bottom line: This is for anyone new to Korea or still on a short-term stay without an Alien Registration Card, and really for any foreign resident who buys or sells used goods on apps like Danggeun Market (당근마켓) or Bunjang (번개장터). Korea's 7-day "cooling-off" right to a no-reason refund under the e-commerce law does not apply to person-to-person secondhand trades — that right only covers transactions between a registered online seller and a consumer. So before you send money, check the other party's phone number or bank account for free on thecheat.co.kr, and use an escrow-style payment such as Danggeun Market's own "Danggeun Pay safe payment," which holds the money until you confirm you received the item, whenever you can.
If you didn't know: A 2026 news report found more than 100 reported scam cases on secondhand platforms like Danggeun Market, Bunjang, and Jungonara, with losses ranging from a few hundred thousand won to tens of millions of won. Because there's no law forcing a refund in a private person-to-person sale, if you send money and never get the item — or get a fake one — your only options are a police report or a civil lawsuit, not an automatic refund. Most of these losses could have been avoided with a five-minute check on thecheat.co.kr.
Check for scam history free at thecheat.co.kr (by phone number, bank account, or email) · report to police at 112 or online via the National Police Agency's cyber investigation portal, ecrm.police.go.kr · consumer help line 1372 (Korea Consumer Agency) — though it often can't broker refunds for purely private transactions · Danggeun Market's own escrow payment (Danggeun Pay) only releases money to the seller after the buyer confirms receipt · the e-commerce law's cooling-off refund right does not cover person-to-person secondhand sales.
That the e-commerce law's cooling-off right applies only to transactions between a registered online seller and a consumer — not private person-to-person sales — is basic, repeatedly stated guidance from the Fair Trade Commission and the Korea Consumer Agency. The case count and loss range ("hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of won," over 100 cases) come from an August 7, 2026 Insight (insight.co.kr) article citing Yonhap News reporting; official annual statistics on total case counts or average losses from the police or the Consumer Agency could not be located directly today and are not included. The scale of thecheat.co.kr's fraud database, the police reporting channel, and how Danggeun Pay's escrow works come from each service's own official description.
Journey stage: During the trip · Verified 2026-11-02
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