The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 22nd that it issued a warning against purchasing goods on behalf of impersonated public officials. This comes after at least nine cases of such scams, impersonating employees of public institutions or local governments, were confirmed to have occurred in Seoul, spreading nationwide recently.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the scam method involves requesting a company to purchase goods on their behalf and demanding prepayment under the guise of product costs, before cutting off contact. They are said to use forged business cards and order forms to make it appear as if there is an official order request from a public official. Subsequently, they induce the victimized company to arrange for a third party to deliver goods that the victim does not handle or cannot immediately order and then lead them to transfer the payment for the delivery.
This type of scam is occurring on a nationwide scale. The Public Procurement Service recently reported that at least 30 local governments and public institutions, including fire departments, have been victims of such scams through notifications published on platforms like the Korea On-Line Procurement System.
Kim Myung-sun, head of the Fair Economy Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, "Attempts to impersonate public officials targeting small and medium-sized enterprises or small business owners are expected to continue," and added, "If you receive any suspicious contact regarding purchasing goods on behalf of someone or requests for prepayment, you must immediately halt the transaction and verify the authenticity through official channels of the Seoul Metropolitan Government."