The photo is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]
The photo is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]

A new secondhand trading scam is spreading, and buyers are being urged to stay alert. The scheme involves a seller naming an apartment complex upfront to put the buyer at ease, then demanding payment before revealing the specific building and unit number upon arrival.

A post warning of the scam recently appeared on the social media account of the online community Bobaedream, titled "Watch out for this trending in-person secondhand trading scam."

The author wrote that after completing a phone call and driving an hour to the agreed apartment complex, the seller demanded payment before disclosing the building and unit number. "I refused to pay, cursed them out and left," the author said. "It was a scam targeting 400,000 won ($257)." The author added that the seller's manner of speaking had seemed off, and urged others not to let their guard down just because a deal is arranged as an in-person transaction. "Ultimately I just wasted an hour," the post read.

Chat logs shared alongside the post revealed that the seller had initially asked the buyer to send a text upon arrival because a younger sibling was sleeping at home, but later changed the story to say a child was sleeping.

When the buyer notified the seller of their arrival at the apartment complex, the seller proposed a contactless handoff, saying they would hang the item on the door handle so as not to wake the child. When the author asked for the exact floor, the seller responded: "Send the money and I'll give you the building and unit number."

Suspicious of the sudden switch from an agreed in-person meeting to a door-handle handoff with upfront payment, the author refused to transfer any money.

An argument followed, and the author demanded a direct phone call, but the seller never picked up. The seller also refused to provide the building and unit number, and the transaction ultimately fell through.

Readers who came across the story left a range of reactions, including: "This is already a well-known trick," "It's so deflating to get caught by something like that," "Saying you can't answer the phone because a child is sleeping makes no sense," "Secondhand scam tactics are getting more and more sophisticated," and "This is a textbook scam."


choigo@heraldcorp.com