Naver Pay Phishing: The Fake 'Safe Payment' Scam Targeting Korea

"I'll send you a Naver Pay safe transaction link. Just click and pay."

This seemingly innocent message on Korean secondhand marketplaces like Danggeun Market or Junggo Nara has become one of the most common phishing lures in South Korea. In August 2025 alone, over 85,000 phishing sites mimicking Naver Pay were detected. A single fraud ring victimized more than 230 people, stealing over 300 million KRW (approximately $220,000 USD).

How the Naver Pay Phishing Scam Works

The Step-by-Step Playbook

What Fake Naver Pay Sites Look Like

Scammers create near-perfect copies of Naver Pay's payment interface:

• Wrong URL domain — Instead of pay.naver.com, you see domains like naverpay-safe.com or pay-naver.xyz
• Payment links sent via messenger — Real Naver Pay never sends payment links through KakaoTalk or SMS
• Bank transfer only — Legitimate Naver Pay offers multiple payment methods
• Extra fees requested — Real Naver Pay doesn't charge buyers additional processing fees
• Seller insists on off-platform communication — Moving from marketplace chat to KakaoTalk is the first red flag

Real Victim Cases

Case 1: The Laptop Deal

A university student found a laptop listed for 500,000 KRW on Junggo Nara. The seller sent a "Naver Pay safe transaction" link via KakaoTalk. The fake page looked identical to Naver Pay. After transferring 500,000 KRW, the student received a "payment error" message and was asked to pay again — losing 1,000,000 KRW total.

Case 2: The Designer Bag

An office worker found a designer bag on Danggeun Market at a below-market price. After entering credit card information on the seller's "safe payment" link, 2,000,000 KRW was charged. The site was a phishing page, not Naver Pay.

How to Tell Real Naver Pay from Fakes

Quick Comparison

Safety Checklist

1. Check the URL — It must be pay.naver.com, nothing else
2. Use in-app payment — Open the Naver app directly to pay
3. Never click external links — Ignore payment links sent via KakaoTalk or SMS
4. Stay on-platform — Keep all conversations within the marketplace app
5. Verify pricing — If it's too cheap, it's probably a scam

What to Do If You've Been Scammed

Immediate Steps

1. Call your bank — Request a payment freeze immediately
2. Report to police — Dial 112 or file at the ECRM cybercrime portal
3. Report to KISA — Call 118 (Korea Internet & Security Agency)
4. Save evidence — Screenshot all conversations and payment screens
5. Report to FSS — Call 1332 (Financial Supervisory Service)

Protecting Your Links Online

The core of this scam is link manipulation — making a malicious link look trustworthy. In everyday life, when you need to share sensitive links, consider using LOCK.PUB to create password-protected links. Only people with the password can access the content, making it easy to distinguish legitimate shared links from phishing attempts.

Prevention Principles

Three Rules to Remember

• Pay directly — Always use Naver Pay through the official Naver app. Never use external links
• Stay skeptical — Too-good-to-be-true prices and high-pressure sellers are warning signs
• Verify everything — Check URL domains, seller ratings, and transaction history

Secondhand marketplaces are convenient, but phishing scams disguised as "safe payments" are everywhere. Simply checking the URL before paying prevents most fraud. Build the habit of verification, and share this knowledge with friends and family.

Need to share links securely? Create password-protected links at LOCK.PUB.