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Seoul issues warning over YouTube Premium account-sharing scams

Published: 24 Jun. 2025, 10:09

A picture of video streaming service YouTube [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government issued a consumer alert Tuesday over a growing number of fraud cases involving YouTube Premium account-sharing services.

According to the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center, a total of 58 complaints related to such scams have been filed this month.

Sellers of these services lure consumers by offering to add them as family members to a YouTube Premium Family Plan — a subscription option available only in certain countries, excluding Korea — using virtual private networks (VPNs), the city said.

The family plan, which is not officially available in Korea, allows a primary account holder to share a subscription with up to five family members, making it a cheaper alternative to standard premium plans.

However, many sellers persuade customers to pay upfront for a one-year plan in cash and then abruptly cut off service and communication, the city said. Major platforms associated with such scams include ShareJS and SafeShare.

The city said that it had issued a similar warning in February last year and blocked the sale of such services on open marketplaces. But scams have continued to spread covertly through online communities such as Naver Cafes and KakaoTalk open chat rooms.

Consumers who have suffered losses can request a consultation through the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center’s website or by phone. The city stressed that the YouTube Premium Family Plan is not available in Korea and warned that the service can be terminated at any time due to violations of Google's terms of use.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]