"I lent a college student 20,000 won for bus fare, but now I can't reach him... It leaves a bitter taste" [What Do You Think?]

[The Financial News] A snack bar owner has shared a story about feeling bitter after lending money for transportation to a college student who said he was short on fare, only for the student to disappear without repaying it.
On the 20th, a post titled "Beware of a college student fare scam" was uploaded to the Bobaedream online community.
Mr. A, who said he runs a snack bar in Guro District, Seoul, wrote that on December 9 last year, a man walked into his shop while he was preparing to open.
Mr. A recalled, "While I was getting ready to open, a man came in and said he was a student at a regional university living in a nearby apartment, and that he couldn't go to school because he didn't have enough money for the fare."
The college student, referred to as Mr. B, asked Mr. A for help, saying, "I'm short 16,700 won. I will definitely pay you back within two days," and Mr. A agreed to lend him the money.
Mr. A said, "He seemed desperate and didn't look like a bad person, so I just took his phone number and lent him 20,000 won," adding, "I told him to transfer it to my account in two days."
However, Mr. B kept changing the promised repayment date while saying he would send the money, and only repeated that he would transfer it "once the money comes in."
In response, Mr. A asked, "Can't you ask your parents to transfer it for you?" Mr. B replied, "I don't have parents. I live with my grandmother, and she doesn't know how to do bank transfers."
Even after that, Mr. B continued to delay the repayment date, giving excuses such as, "I still haven't been paid, so I'm working night shifts loading and unloading cargo at a logistics center."
Mr. A said, "Now that it's January 2026, I still haven't gotten my money back, and I haven't heard from him at all," adding, "I helped him out with good intentions, so having it turn out like this really leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."
In a follow-up post, Mr. A wrote, "When I told him I would report him if he didn't send the money, he finally contacted me," and added, "I also confirmed that other shops have been scammed in the same way. If he doesn't send the money, I plan to file a report."
Online commenters who read the story reacted by saying things like, "Because of people like this, those who really need help get ignored," "It's only 20,000 won, but it must feel awful when you went out of your way to be kind," "I wish small-amount fraud would be punished more severely," "This is a classic trick that's been around since the 1980s," "For your peace of mind, just think of the 20,000 won as a donation," and "Since he at least replies, maybe he really can't afford to pay it back right now."
newssu@fnnews.com Kim Soo-yeon Reporter