New irrational fear unlocked: online shopping scams gone wrong
We’re constantly warned about shopping online. Added caution is advised particularly in choosing where and who to buy from. Whether in choosing the best deal available or picking out an authentic and official seller, the point stands: you have no idea what exactly you got or in what condition it is until it lands on your doorstep. Now when this advice is ignored, what if beyond a wasted expenditure, your very life comes under threat?
Shopping for second-hand items online becomes a terrifying and life-threatening situation in the upcoming Korean action thriller “Target” starring Shin Hae-Sun, along with Kang Tae-Oh and Kim Sung-Kyun.
Soo-hyun’s (Hae-Sun) life falls apart when she is targeted by a killer after buying a used washing machine online. Bent on saving costs due to the skyrocketing prices of goods, Soo-hyun falls for a deal when a seller posted a second-hand washing machine online at a very cheap and irresistible price. However, she realizes that she’s been scammed when she discovers that the item is not working. Annoyed and unwilling to let it slide, Soo-hyun tracks the seller and warns everyone online about the fraudulent seller.
She soon finds out that this is no ordinary scammer who will do anything at all costs to prevent her from spreading the word against him. Strange things soon happen as she starts to experience receiving strange text messages and deliveries at home that she hasn’t even placed. Shaken, Soo-hyun reports the incidents to the police which leads them to a terrifying revelation that she bought an item from a killer.
“Target” starts off with the realistic subject of second-hand shopping, which has become a familiar part of our daily lives, and combines it with the thriller genre with added cinematic imagination. The plot of being scammed and targeted by a criminal in a used goods online market, where anyone can easily sell and buy, is not just for the movies, but something that could be happening to someone right now. The film sharply captures the crime of online second-hand shopping and maximizes suspense with a heightened sense of reality.
Shin masterfully expresses Soo-hyun’s emotions as she goes from being an ordinary office worker to the target of a killer whose life falls apart as she is anonymously threatened. From the anger of being scammed in a used item purchase to the fear that someone is watching her every move, and the despair of not being able to escape the criminal’s watch, Shin delicately conveys these emotions with a compelling performance.
Portraying not just a victim who is unconditionally targeted, but a woman who takes action to find the culprit, Shin leads the audience with her intense performance. Director Park Hee-kon expressed his great satisfaction in working with Shin Hae-sun, saying, “It is difficult to express various emotions where an ordinary office worker becomes a target of crime, and to coordinate the changes with other actors, but I was amazed to witness her doing that every day on set.”
“Target” opens on October 18 in local cinemas.
