"예쁘네요" 최면 걸린 듯 털렸다..'14만 팔로워' 인플루언서 '정체' / SBS / AFTER 8NEWS / 안희재 사회부 기자

They say they are selling limited edition luxury bags at a special bargain price. The seller is reportedly a wealthy, young female entrepreneur and an influencer with over 100,000 followers. Reviews praising the windfall were everywhere, and before they knew it, they had already made the payment. However, the item did not arrive even after waiting for years. While they were suffering in silence, thinking "It will come, it will come," news arrived instead of the bag: it turned out the seller was a man. He promised to definitely send the product but suddenly cut off contact, and it is said he is in prison. There were more than a few people who did not receive their items. When the total amount of money transferred adds up, it amounts to a whopping 2 billion won. This unbelievable story begins now. 1. "A 300 million won bag for 20 million won... people flocked to buy it like concert tickets." Ms. A, a woman in her 50s, began exchanging messages with Mr. Park in 2023. She contacted the seller, Mr. Park, after seeing a post on a second-hand trading platform offering a luxury bag at a low price. It is said that a bidding war flared up every time limited edition luxury goods were released at prices dozens of times lower than the retail price. [Ms. A / Victim of Luxury Fraud: It was worth 300 million won. But they said they would give it to me for 20 million won. Since it was so cheap, I went (to the site). They said they would only give it to a select few people here, and as soon as it was posted, people flocked in like crazy and it was gone. It was like a concert ticket sale, as if it were really famous.] Ms. A said she initially suspected fraud upon seeing the absurdly low price, but those doubts soon vanished. She was captivated by Ms. Park’s image as a wealthy, young, and stylish female entrepreneur and influential influencer. [Ms. A / Victim of Luxury Fraud: She said she was really famous. I looked her up and saw things like 140,000 followers. She also had 15 cars. (Looking at the photo Ms. Park sent) I said, 'You look pretty.' She replied, 'I took the photo down because there were too many stalkers...' ] I tried to make a purchase for the first time and gave up, but this experience actually built trust. [Ms. A / Victim of Luxury Goods Fraud: They said it would take a while (for delivery). So I asked for a refund, and they refunded it (immediately). When I asked why they were selling it so cheaply, they said they have a foundation and are covering the expenses. They said they weren't losing much, so I thought, 'Ah, this person must not be a scammer.'] By the promise that they would sell me luxury goods at a lower price, I sent money in 19 installments totaling 66 million won, but I only received 28 million won back. This is how the long wait began. 2. Getting Angry at Refund Requests and 'Gaslighting' The promised date passed, but no packages arrived. I asked about the delivery schedule whenever I had a spare moment while having casual conversations with Mr. Park, but the only answer I received was to wait, and he increasingly refused to accept my refund requests. However, I maintained my trust by looking at Mr. Park's social media, where he continued to flaunt his image as a competent businessman. [Ms. A / Victim of Luxury Fraud: I asked for a refund, but they said they couldn't. When I pressed them, they got really angry. They asked why I was being so overly dramatic when everyone else was waiting. They gaslighted me severely. The power dynamic was reversed. (I was actually) saying, "Oh, I'm sorry."] She says she was subjected to "false hope" every day while staring only at the reviews posted online. [Ms. A / Victim of Luxury Fraud: They posted a lot of photos. "I'm so grateful you gave it to me so cheaply," "I just waited (to receive it), I waited." Seeing those, I started thinking, "Oh, when is mine coming? When is mine coming?" It was like I was under hypnosis.] "I've been a victim of fraud." Ms. A finally accepted the reality when she realized that she hadn't seen the bag she bought even once in two years. A police investigation began as complaints were filed one after another stating that money had been sent to Mr. Park but the goods had not been received. 3. Female Influencer with 140,000 Followers, Turns Out to Be a Man? Here comes unexpected news. It has been confirmed that "Ms. Park," a "female influencer with 140,000 followers," is actually a man in his 20s. Although it is reported that Ms. Park denied the charges, claiming that the recent surge in refund requests merely caused shipping delays, the police have detected indications that she continued her fraudulent activities by posing as a wealthy woman and have launched a full-scale investigation into the scale of her actual assets. To date, the police have identified at least 17 victims, with the total damages amounting to 2 billion won. It has been confirmed that Ms. Park appeared before the police multiple times for questioni...