No-Show Damages Occur Consecutively in Chungju
Damage Amount per Restaurant Ranges from 400,000 to 500,000 KRW
Cases of so-called 'no-shows,' where individuals impersonate military officers to place large group orders at restaurants and then cut off contact, have been repeatedly occurring in Chungju, Chungbuk, causing significant damage to small business owners.
On the 28th, Chungju City sent text messages urging special caution regarding no-show damages to 4,650 restaurants in the area. In the notification, the city stated, "Recently, crimes involving individuals impersonating soldiers to place large orders of about 50 servings of food and then not showing up have been occurring repeatedly," and added, "Since reports of damages continue to be filed through the police station, business owners are asked to be especially careful." It is reported that the city sent the notification text at the police's request.
The Chungju Police Station is investigating incidents of no-show damages that occurred at 4 to 5 restaurants, including gukbap (soup with rice) establishments, within a month. The impersonators used different phone numbers for each restaurant when placing orders, and the damage per restaurant is known to range from 400,000 to 500,000 KRW. It is also suspected that burner phones were used.
A police official said, "To prevent damages caused by no-shows, prepayment should be required for group orders," and added, "Since similar damages are continuing, caution is necessary."
This is not the first case of no-shows involving impersonation of military officers. On the 13th, in Ganghwa-do, Incheon, multiple reports were received about individuals impersonating military officers to lure restaurants into group food orders and then extorting money, prompting police investigations. At that time, six restaurants in the Ganghwa-gun area reported to the police via 112 emergency calls that "military impersonation phishing crimes are suspected."
Most of these restaurants were hangover soup houses or Chinese restaurants, and it was identified that an unidentified person named A, impersonating a Marine Corps officer, placed group food orders. A reportedly contacted the restaurants as if ordering 50 servings of food, then explained internal circumstances to the self-employed owners and requested them to pay for other companies' bills, such as combat ration purchase costs, on their behalf.
Meanwhile, if the intentionality of the no-show act is proven, it can be punished under current law as obstruction of business by deception. The crime of obstruction of business can result in imprisonment of up to 5 years or a fine of up to 15 million KRW. However, since the intentionality of the no-show act must be proven, it is not easy to actually apply the charge of obstruction of business.
As no-show damage cases increase, self-employed individuals are sharing 'no-show prevention measures.' Representative measures include receiving deposits, leaving records of order details and cancellation deadlines via text messages, keeping order forms, and installing closed-circuit television (CCTV).
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