"It's most popular because cram schools are everywhere, and housewives can easily act like ordinary parents asking for quotes for tuition," said Moon.
The education ministry said it had paid 3.4 billion won ($2.9 million) in rewards since the system was adopted in July 2009, with one person alone raking in nearly 300 million won by making more than 920 reports.
Critics say snoopers are squeezing mom-and-pop businesses trying to survive in tough times.
Cho Young-Hwan, spokesman for South Korea's cram school association, called them "merciless predators" who forced many small cram schools to shut down.
Many schools are pressured to run late-night classes because parents demand that their kids study until late despite the government ban, he said.
"These professional bounty hunters are turning a place of children's education into a playground for their profiteering," Cho told AFP.
Oh Chang-Soo, a law professor at Jeju National University, called the situation worrying.
He told AFP the rewards had become "a cash cow for bounty hunters" and did not encourage a healthy civic spirit or genuine sense of justice.
"These paparazzi...set up a trap and eagerly wait until someone violates a rule. A practice like this will only fan mistrust among members of society," Oh said.
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