“They said it was free, but I was charged 1 million won?” Gangnam Station aesthetic clinic baiting tactics

"I thought it was free..." The reality of SNS events leading to high-cost payments

Recently, there have been successive cases of victims participating in "free skincare trial" events on social media (SNS) and online communities, only to be coerced into purchasing expensive packages. The pattern involves receiving a notification of winning an SNS event and making a reservation, but once the treatment is finished, being demanded to purchase packages worth millions of won.

Victims report being held in consultation rooms for long periods. Even when expressing their intention to decline by saying, "I'll think about it," they face continuous psychological pressure through persistent solicitation. In some cases, even after purchasing millions of won worth of cosmetics, refunds were refused, or payments were demanded under the guise of a reservation fee for the free trial. There are growing voices of grievance as the consultation time often exceeds the actual treatment time.

'Friendly approach' and 'closed consultations' targeting young professionals near Gangnam Station

These deceptive tactics are concentrated in areas with high foot traffic, such as the Gangnam Station underground shopping center, areas near exits, and Daehak-ro. Solicitors approach people by promoting "open anniversary events for students" or "free skincare coupons," then induce them to accompany them to a building containing consultation rooms. University students who have moved to Seoul or young professionals in their early 20s are the primary targets.

Various methods are employed during the solicitation process to lower the targets' guard. They approach in a friendly manner, such as linking arms and saying, "My daughter is a college student too," while checking the person's age; they even show meticulousness by not giving coupons at all to teenagers who lack purchasing power. Once inside the consultation room, victims are held in a closed space for a long time and offered additional programs or expensive packages under the guise of discounts. In this process, a coercive atmosphere is sometimes created, where victims hear disparaging remarks about their appearance if they refuse.

Limitations of legal action and how to utilize consumer rights

Despite the suffering of the victims, criminal punishment is not easy to achieve. Unless accompanied by assault or threats, it is difficult to establish the crime of "coercion" under the Criminal Act based solely on a coercive atmosphere without notifying the other party of specific harm.

However, if a payment has already been made, there are ways for consumers to respond. Skincare service contracts can be terminated during the contract period by paying a penalty. Additionally, if cosmetics or other goods were purchased, if they remain unopened, a withdrawal of the offer is possible within 14 days for door-to-door sales and within 7 days for online purchases, in accordance with the Door-to-Door Sales Act.