Travel Agency Scam Resurfaces as Agents Take Advantage of Trust in Cash Discounts
Creatrip Team
6 months ago
Repeated frauds by independent travel agency branches (대리점) are resurfacing in South Korea as customers—especially older adults—trust branded storefronts and are lured into sending cash or paying into personal accounts with promises of discounts. Major incidents since 2017 and a recent case at a prominent agency affected about 190 customers and highlight a structural problem: large travel companies expand via franchised or contracted independent agents, leaving gaps in oversight. The common tactic exploits a culture of "reserve first, pay later" and customers’ low information access, enabling agents to pocket payments and vanish. In response, companies like Hana Tour and NorangPungseon have eliminated independent payment authority, forced payments through corporate accounts, implemented immediate confirmation messages and virtual account/ARS payment systems, and required posters and guarantees at agencies. The industry and the Korea Association of Travel Agents (KATA) plan awareness campaigns and cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, while noting legal limits to direct regulation of independent agents.
