# “Lost 4.95 million won trying to buy on Karrot”… Warning about door-handle transaction scams

> URL: https://www.cityhorror.wiki/en/%EB%A7%88%EC%B2%9C%EB%8F%99%EC%97%90%EC%84%9C%EB%8A%94-%EC%95%84%EB%AC%B4-%ED%98%B8%EC%88%98%EB%82%98-%EB%A7%90%ED%95%98%EB%9D%BC%EA%B3%A0-%ED%96%88%EB%8B%A4
> Estimated date: Jun 2025
> Last updated: 2026-10-28
> Korean original: https://www.cityhorror.wiki/%EB%A7%88%EC%B2%9C%EB%8F%99%EC%97%90%EC%84%9C%EB%8A%94-%EC%95%84%EB%AC%B4-%ED%98%B8%EC%88%98%EB%82%98-%EB%A7%90%ED%95%98%EB%9D%BC%EA%B3%A0-%ED%96%88%EB%8B%A4

## Overview

A series of screenshots showing a conversation between a seller offering a sealed iPhone 16 Pro Max and a buyer on Karrot appeared on FM Korea, bringing attention to a suspected door-handle transaction scam. The conversation mentions an apartment complex in Macheon-dong as the meeting place, and appears to show someone saying that the buyer could tell the security guard “any apartment number.”

The post was titled “A Karrot scam method that’s apparently popular these days.” News reports have described a string of door-handle transaction scams in which sellers provide fake addresses, take payment, and then disappear. Some have therefore viewed this case as an example of that method, while others argue that the screenshots alone cannot establish that an actual scam took place.

## Screenshots of the Conversation in the FM Korea Post

The post contains several screenshots together. First, a screen that appears to be from Karrot shows a “White iPhone 16 Pro Max, 512 GB” listed for 1.78 million won, with no price offers accepted. A red notice at the top says the seller’s account has been restricted for violating the service’s policies. On the evening of January 4, 2025, the buyer asked whether the phone was unopened. The next morning, the seller replied, “It’s unopened,” after which the buyer asked for a phone number.

The conversation then appears to have moved to iMessage. When the buyer, who said they lived in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, explained that they had asked for a number in case contact was lost, the seller replied, “You can come to Songpa Parkdale Complex 2 in Macheon-dong.” Another screenshot, apparently from KakaoTalk, includes directions to “park by the roadside in front of the market on the alley next to the main entrance,” along with a request asking, “If you don’t mind, could I come up to your front door and pick up the item?” The post also includes a photo of a white shopping bag bearing the Karrot logo hanging from a front-door handle.

## “You Can Give Them Any Apartment Number”

The questionable exchange appears in one screenshot that seems to be from KakaoTalk. One person explains, “I had to take my mother-in-law somewhere, so I left it outside the door and rushed out.” When the other person says, “Please let me know when you get to Building 207,” they ask, “What apartment number should I give them?” The reply says they are in front of the entrance gate. Then comes, “You can give them any apartment number,” followed shortly by, “The security guard turned me away.” When the other person says, “Tell them it’s apartment 702,” the conversation continues with remarks such as “You can park out front and come over,” “I’ll walk,” and “I’m near the back entrance.”

The screenshot distinguishes speakers only by the color of their chat bubbles, so it is unclear who said what, or in what capacity. It does, however, show someone being told to give any apartment number despite no specific unit having been established, and that this did not work with the security office. The post itself contains only the single line, “Looks like they filed a fraud complaint!” The actual amount of any loss and the status of any investigation have not been confirmed.

## The Door-Handle Transaction Scam Method Reported in the Media

In a door-handle transaction, the buyer pays and the seller leaves the item hanging from the buyer’s front-door handle for them to collect, making it a contactless transaction. Yonhap News explained that the method became common as contactless practices spread after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, reports have also noted a series of scams exploiting this arrangement: sellers provide fake addresses, receive the buyer’s money, and then disappear.

One prominent case was reported in June 2025 after being received by the Michuhol Police Station in Incheon. A man in his 20s, identified as Mr. A, who lived in Incheon, sent 1.65 million won to a seller, Mr. B, to buy an iPhone 16 Pro Max on Karrot. Mr. B reportedly used an account with a 100% “hope to trade again” rating and verified local status, and had even sent a photo of a shopping bag hanging from a door handle in advance. But Mr. B then demanded another payment, claiming that the account was a business account and that a personal transaction had to be verified. Mr. A sent the same amount three times, losing a total of 4.95 million won. Mr. A said it was confirmed that Mr. B had paid someone to borrow a Karrot account for local promotion. He added that he had even received an ID card, leaving him with no reason to suspect the scam.

As of June 12, an online group chat created by victims had 64 members, and reported losses totaled about 17 million won. The victims lived in various areas, including Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, and Daegu, and the items involved included gift certificates, graphics cards, and Nintendo products. Police said they were working to identify the owner of the account used in the crime and warned that business registration certificates and ID cards can be easily forged. A YouTube video by YTN reported that police had received a case involving Mr. A, a man in his 20s from Incheon, who had arranged to buy an iPhone 16 Pro Max from a Karrot user, Mr. B, and went to the agreed location for a door-handle transaction.

## Warnings from Karrot Users and the Platform’s Response

A warning from a user who said they had encountered a similar method was also posted on Karrot’s neighborhood community. In February 2025, one user wrote that people should suspect a scam if an unopened iPhone is listed at an unusually low price. They said the method was to steer the buyer toward an in-person transaction, then suddenly claim they had to leave home at the agreed time and suggest a door-handle transaction instead. The seller said they would provide the unit number after receiving payment in advance, but kept changing their story. The phone number also reportedly had a history of scam reports. Karrot Bot commented on the post: “If it’s over 100,000 won, you absolutely have to meet in person.”

In an August 2025 report, Sisajournal-e said that reports of secondhand-market scams had risen from 78,320 in 2023 to 100,539 in 2024, while losses more than doubled, from 137.3 billion won to 334 billion won. The report also described a case in which a seller tried to reassure a buyer with a photo fabricated using AI. The seller, who cited childcare as the reason for requesting a door-handle transaction, sent an authentication photo with their nickname written on it, but the image had been manipulated. Karrot said that if a seller demands advance payment to a separate account rather than through Karrot Pay, an automatic warning message is sent; it also notifies other users who are chatting with a sanctioned user. The report also noted criticism that the response generally comes only after a loss has occurred.

## Authenticity Debate

The main questions are whether the transaction shown in the Macheon-dong screenshots was an attempt to scam someone using a fake address, or an ordinary transaction that merely looks suspicious but had an explanation, and whether the screenshots can be treated as part of a single transaction.

### The Case for a Scam Attempt

Those who view it as a scam attempt argue that the circumstances resemble the methods described in news reports. In particular, they see the instruction to “give them any apartment number” as indicating that the seller either did not know, or could not provide, the actual unit number. If the seller really lived there, they argue, there would be no reason for them not to know the apartment number the buyer should give the security guard. The fact that the buyer’s attempt to provide a unit number was blocked by the security office is also seen as a sign that the location was not a valid place to complete the transaction. They consider this similar to the media’s descriptions of sellers giving fake addresses.

The apparent effort to push the buyer toward a door-handle transaction is also said to match the reported method. One person in the conversation says they had to leave home in a hurry to take their mother-in-law somewhere. This resembles the excuse described in the Karrot neighborhood warning post: “suddenly having to leave home at the time of the transaction.” The photo of a shopping bag hanging from a door handle is also similar to the method used by Mr. B in the Incheon case. These details are compounded by the fact that the seller’s account was restricted and that the conversation appears to have moved to iMessage after the buyer requested a phone number. The question, then, is whether so many similarities can be dismissed as coincidence.

### The Case Against Reaching a Conclusion

The opposing view is that the screenshots do not show the entire transaction. The post combines several screens of unclear origin, and the apps vary between Karrot chat, iMessage, and KakaoTalk. Nothing in the screenshots establishes that the conversation about Building 207 was part of the transaction at Songpa Parkdale Complex 2 in Macheon-dong. Another objection is that, since the speakers are identified only by the color of their chat bubbles, it is not even clear whether the seller or the buyer said “any apartment number.”

Nor has any loss been confirmed. The post contains no information about an actual payment, the amount involved, or a police report. The line “Looks like they filed a fraud complaint!” is merely a single, weakly supported claim. The account being restricted means only that the platform identified a policy violation; it does not prove that fraud occurred. Moreover, door-handle transactions are a common form of contactless exchange, so leaving an item outside because of an urgent situation cannot in itself be treated as evidence of a crime. It is therefore too early to definitively call this case a scam.

Neither side has evidence that can confirm whether the screenshots are authentic or whether anyone actually suffered a loss, so whether this case was a scam remains unresolved.

## Trivia

- As the FM Korea post title puts it, “apparently popular these days,” Yonhap News described door-handle transaction scams as continuing “across the country.”
- As of June 12, the group chat created by Mr. A, the victim in the Incheon case, had 64 members. Sisajournal-e quoted Professor Lee Eun-hee of Inha University as saying that Karrot users helping one another investigate can also be a way to reduce harm.

## Sources

- FM Korea post, [“A Karrot scam method that’s apparently popular these days”](https://m.fmkorea.com/best/10461532209)
- Yonhap News, [“‘Lost 4.95 Million Won Trying to Buy on Karrot’… Warning About Door-Handle Transaction Scams”](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20250613108200065?input=1195m) (2025-06-15)
- The Korea Economic Daily, [“Even After Checking IDs, They Lost 17 Million Won… Karrot Users in an Uproar”](https://www.hankyung.com/article/2025061555437) (2025-06-15)
- Asiae, [“Sent 5 Million Won, but Given a Fake Address… ‘Door-Handle Transaction’ Scams on the Rise”](https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/2025061509263246699) (2025-06-15)
- Sisajournal-e, [“Karrot Scams Made More Sophisticated With AI… ‘Users Have to Be Careful to Prevent Losses’”](https://www.sisajournal-e.com/news/curationView.html?idxno=414494) (2025-08-18)
- Karrot Neighborhood Life, [“Beware of iPhone Scams”](https://www.daangn.com/kr/community/%EC%95%84%EC%9D%B4%ED%8F%B0-%EC%82%AC%EA%B8%B0-%EC%A1%B0%EC%8B%AC%ED%95%98%EC%84%B8%EC%9A%94-9ug88uje6rbe/) (2025-02-17)
- YTN (YouTube), [“A Seller With a 100% ‘Hope to Trade Again’ Rating and Numerous Transactions… After the Purchase, a ‘Shocking…’”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-5yPq0trdg)

## Verified facts

- According to reports by Yonhap News, The Korea Economic Daily, and Asia Economy, a woman in her 20s living in Incheon was scammed in a “door-handle transaction” while trying to buy an iPhone 16 Pro Max from B on Karrot.
- According to Yonhap News and Asia Economy, a report of the scam (petition) was filed with the Incheon Michuhol Police Station on June 5, 2025.
- According to reports by Yonhap News, The Korea Economic Daily, and Asia Economy, B said that after receiving payment, they would provide the address (building and unit number) and leave the item hanging on the door handle, and A first transferred 1.65 million won.
- According to reports by Yonhap News, The Korea Economic Daily, and Asia Economy, B’s account showed a “100% willingness to trade again” rating and local verification history, so A did not become suspicious.
- According to reports by Yonhap News, The Korea Economic Daily, and Asia Economy, B reassured A by sending a photo in advance of the item placed in a shopping bag and hung on the door handle.
- According to reports by Yonhap News and The Korea Economic Daily, B asked A to send more money, saying in effect that “because it’s a business account, a personal transaction has to be verified”; Asia Economy reported that B requested additional transfers “to verify the personal transaction history.”
- According to reports by Yonhap News, The Korea Economic Daily, and Asia Economy, A sent a total of 4.95 million won in three transfers, after which B disappeared and cut off contact.
- According to reports by Yonhap News and The Korea Economic Daily, A found out that B had paid someone to borrow a Karrot account, claiming it was “needed to promote a local business,” and said that B had even sent an ID card during the transaction.
- According to reports by Yonhap News, The Korea Economic Daily, and Asia Economy, a group chat created by A for victims brought together 64 people from across the country, including Seoul, Busan, Daegu, and Gwangju, with losses totaling about 17 million won.
- According to reports by Yonhap News and The Korea Economic Daily, the items involved included gift certificates, graphics cards, and game consoles (Nintendo).
- According to reports by Yonhap News, The Korea Economic Daily, and Asia Economy, police are working to identify the actual owner of the bank account used in the scam.
- According to reports by Yonhap News and Asia Economy, a police official cautioned people not to trust business registration certificates or ID cards uncritically, as they can be easily altered or forged.
- According to reports by Yonhap News and Asia Economy, door-handle transactions became widespread after the COVID-19 pandemic as contactless practices spread, and scams exploiting this feature have also increased.
- A YouTube video by YTN said that A, a woman in her 20s living in Incheon, agreed to buy an iPhone 16 Pro Max from Karrot user B and went to the agreed location for a door-handle transaction.
- Both Sisajournal-e and a Karrot Neighborhood Life post report that sellers listing unopened smartphones at low prices and steering buyers toward door-handle transactions and advance payment have been using this scam on Karrot.

## Points of dispute

- Reports by Yonhap News and The Korea Economic Daily say B requested additional payment because it was a business account and a personal transaction had to be verified, while Asia Economy describes the reason only as verifying personal transaction history. The explanation that the account had been recently opened appears only in Yonhap News.
- Asia Economy says police received the report and began investigating on June 5, while Yonhap News says a “petition” was filed that day, and The Korea Economic Daily gives only the vague timing “recently.”
- Yonhap News lists the items involved as gift certificates, graphics cards, and Nintendo products, while The Korea Economic Daily lists gift certificates, game consoles, and graphics cards. This is a difference in wording rather than a major contradiction.