A new type of voice phishing has emerged in which scammers impersonate Korea Development Bank employees to demand proxy purchases of goods and swindle money, prompting caution. Recently, scams have been increasing that impersonate public institutions—such as city hall officials, university staff, and prison employees—to request proxy purchases.
According to the financial sector on the 2nd, a new phishing scam has recently surfaced in which scammers use forged documents and fake business cards to impersonate Korea Development Bank employees and demand delivery of goods. The scammer introduced the person as "Korea Development Bank ○○ Department Director" and sent a forged business card.
They requested deliveries of goods worth tens of millions of won and drafted fake documents such as contracts and purchase orders to induce delivery. The scammer introduced a specific company that supposedly sells the goods below list price and requested the purchase and contract. The person then introduced a fake employee of the sham seller and induced a bank transfer to steal the money.
They also explained the reason for the delivery request by saying that a contract vendor existed but they had to place an emergency order because the limit for a private contract had been exceeded.
According to the financial authorities, proxy purchase scams have been rising rapidly lately. In the past, scammers mainly made large reservations at restaurants, asked the restaurant to purchase premium wine or whiskey from a specific vendor on their behalf, and then failed to show up at the reservation time. More recently, criminals have evolved to impersonate officials from local governments, prisons, and schools. Using a method similar to the Korea Development Bank scam, they demand proxy purchases and then seize the payment.
From the start of the year through on the 4th of last month, of the 3,750 cases reported as new phishing in which financial companies suspended temporary account transactions, "no-show/proxy purchase" scams accounted for 1,376 cases (about 37%). The Korea Financial Intelligence Unit said, "A proxy purchase request is 100% a no-show scam and should be rejected outright."