<Anchor> This is a
friendly economic time. Today (19th), I will be with reporter Kim Hye-min. It's a bit noisy these days because of the 'merge point'. Let me first explain what the problem is.
<Reporter>
It would be quite tempting if you could pay only 800,000 won and buy 1 million won worth at a restaurant or mart.
This is a marketing technique used by the platform company Merge Plus, and 'Merge Point' was a 20% discount through the app, so you could buy it first and use the points at nearby affiliated merchants.
There are 20,000 stores. There are so many places where it can be used that over 1 million consumers have used MergePoints.
However, on the 4th, the Financial Supervisory Service issued a corrective recommendation to Merge Plus to register as an electronic financial company.
According to the Electronic Financial Transactions Act, if you want to use prepaid deposits in two or more industries, you must first register with the financial authorities.
The head office said, "We will solve this problem," and abruptly removed some franchisees that were available, such as convenience stores and marts.
However, this refund is not being done properly, and the merchants are also refusing to pay.
<Anchor>
Something like a bank run is happening right now. How, then, should the person who has it deal with it?
<Reporter>
Unfortunately, there is currently no clear solution. It is said that the company is giving refunds sequentially. Some users say they received the refunded amount, but they do not receive the full amount, and only half to 80% of the purchase amount is reimbursed.
The police have launched an investigation into this case, and there is a movement to file a class action lawsuit centering on some victims.
However, it is not easy to go to court because the cost of litigation is higher than the prepayment points that most consumers have. Also, if Merge Plus did not entrust the deposits it received from its customers to other institutions, there is a high possibility that the principal will not be recovered even if the lawsuit is filed.
As to where customers have stored their prepaid points, Merge Plus is silent.
<Anchor> It's a
frustrating situation. My acquaintances also used these things to live a consumption life even a little bit economically. But now, the company offered to return it, but no one said that it was received. I think the financial authorities should take a closer look at this issue. We've talked about merge points so far, aren't there some similar points to this merge point? Is there something else?
<Reporter>
First of all, you need to know what a prepaid top-up is. In simple terms, it means to top up your cash in advance before making a payment.
Gift certificates for department stores or franchise cafes can only be used at the affiliated store where they are issued. It's just a gift certificate, so it's relatively safe.
On the other hand, if payment and redemption are possible at a location other than the point of issue, this is a prepaid charge. Have you heard of Kakao Pay or Naver Pay?
Since they give a lot of discounts, everyone should charge at least one and use it. The prepaid charging market has grown significantly from 900 billion won in 2015 to 2.4 trillion won in March of this year.
Large companies include Kakao Pay, T-money, and Lotte Members. Since most of them are large companies, consumers often just trust and use them.
<Anchor>
Then, can consumers just trust that it is a big company and use it?
<Reporter> In
fact, I can't say that the prepaid deposits of other companies are perfectly safe. The amount charged by customers is actually a 'deposit'.
Therefore, the company's assets and this charge must be separated and entrusted to an institution such as a bank. However, at present, trust is not compulsory, and there is only a guideline at the advisory level.
So even if you do not comply with this, there is no way to punish. In fact, some companies do not have money protection measures in place.
Last year in Germany, a famous fintech company went bankrupt when accounting fraud worth 2 trillion won was discovered. Consumers have no choice but to take care of themselves until the government regulations come out or the relevant laws change.
Just because you're using a prepaid top-up from a large company, you shouldn't let yourself go unconditionally. You must first carefully examine how the charged amount is stored and use it.