After Sending the Menu in the Official Document, Requesting Proxy Payment
More than 60 Cases of Similar Scam Reported This Year Alone
Recently, there has been a surge in group reservation scams impersonating soldiers targeting restaurants near military bases. It is reported that more than 60 restaurants have fallen victim to such scams just this year.
On the 31st of last month, KBS reported a case involving a restaurant in Nonsan, Chungnam. A man in his 50s, Mr. A, who runs the restaurant, received a phone call on the 23rd, just before the weekend. The caller introduced himself as a sergeant from the Special Warfare Command and said he was coming to train at a nearby base, reserving group meals for 50 soldiers for three days. The man even sent a spending approval form issued by the unit along with a meal plan. Since the caller spoke in a typical military tone and sent an official document stamped with the battalion commander's seal along with a training-tailored menu, Mr. A believed him without suspicion.
The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. The photo shows soldiers moving at Seoul Station. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
On the day of the reservation, after preparing all the food, the man contacted Mr. A again. He requested photos of the prepared food, saying he needed to report to his superiors. After checking the photos, he called back and claimed he had mistakenly failed to order combat rations for the training. He asked Mr. A to order 10 million won worth of food from a supplier contracted with the unit and to send the money on his behalf. He added, "I will settle the cost together with the meal payment later."
Expense report sent by a gang of fraudsters impersonating soldiers at a restaurant[Image source=Captured from KBS news footage]
When Mr. A said he could not make the purchase on his behalf, the man pleaded, saying, "I will be disciplined. It will affect my promotion, so please, I beg you." Eventually, Mr. A even contacted the combat ration supplier but remained suspicious and did not comply with the request. After that, contact with Mr. A was lost. It turned out that neither the sergeant nor the combat ration supplier was real; they were all part of a scam gang. The 50-person reservation food prepared by Mr. A had to be discarded without being sold.
It has been revealed that 61 restaurants nationwide in areas densely populated with military bases have fallen victim to similar reservation scams this year. By region, Gangwon had the highest number with 36 cases, followed by Jeonnam with 13, and Jeonbuk with 6. Among these, at least five restaurants handed over cash and are currently under police investigation. Most of the affected restaurants suffered damages of around 3 million won. The Korea Foodservice Industry Association has sent scam alert text messages, especially to areas densely populated with military bases, to prevent similar damages.
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