Military Impersonation Scam Surges... "No-Show After Ordering 480 Lunchboxes"

Series of Soldier Impersonation Scams
61 Locations Affected... 5 Involving Cash Losses

Recently, scams impersonating military personnel have been rampant, requiring special caution.

Photo by Asia Economy DB

On the 11th, KBS reported that a man identified as A, who claimed to be a colonel affiliated with the Ministry of National Defense, ordered 480 lunchboxes from a restaurant in Cheongju, Chungbuk, but never showed up to pick them up. A sent the restaurant a purchase order stating that the lunchboxes were "three days' worth of meals for unit members," along with a Ministry of National Defense official ID and an expenditure approval form signed by the battalion commander.

The restaurant owner, B, explained the situation, saying, "I naturally believed him because he had Ministry of National Defense documents with signatures." On the day they were supposed to deliver the first 80 lunchboxes, A suddenly said he could not prepare combat rations and asked B to "send 9 million won to the supplier on his behalf." Feeling suspicious, B did not transfer the money, and A immediately cut off contact.

B appealed, saying, "He said the issue had to be resolved before he could come to pick up the lunchboxes," adding, "The loss amounts to several million won, including dozens of lunchboxes already prepared and two days' worth of delivery ingredients."

Scams impersonating military personnel have been increasingly confirmed recently. According to KBS, more than 61 restaurants nationwide have fallen victim to similar reservation scams this year in areas densely populated with military bases. By region, the numbers were ▲Gangwon Province (36 places) ▲Jeonnam (13 places) ▲Jeonbuk (6 places), among others. Of these, five restaurants actually handed over cash, prompting police investigations.

In April, a man impersonating a military base officer ordered chicken soup for soldiers' meals from a restaurant and used it as bait to extort money, leading to a police investigation. The impersonator, C, ordered chicken soup worth 960,000 won. Later, he requested, "Please prepare a month's supply of fruit for the soldiers along with the meal," and added, "If you receive a call from the fruit farm, please comply with their requests."

After verifying an official document stamped with the battalion commander's seal, restaurant owner D sent 3.09 million won to the orchard owner without suspicion. D lamented, "I was deceived by the promise made under the unit's name," and said, "His tone was exactly like a soldier's, so I had no choice but to believe him."