[Exclusive] Military Officer Impersonation 'No-Show' Crime Spreads to Yeonggwang Flower Shops

Introduced Himself as a Second Lieutenant of the 31st Infantry Division
Ordered Four Flower Pots and Four Bottles of Wine Worth 3.5 Million KRW Each
Sent a Fake Ministry of National Defense Document to Avoid Suspicion
Victimized Shop Owner Says, "This Scammer Must Be Caught"

An unidentified man impersonating a military officer ordered flowerpots and expensive wine worth around 3 million won from a flower shop in Yeonggwang County, Jeollanam-do, then sent a fake Ministry of National Defense document. Photo provided by reader

As so-called "no-show" crimes, in which individuals impersonate military officers to place group or bulk orders and then cut off contact, are rampant nationwide, a similar incident has occurred in Yeonggwang, Jeollanam-do, prompting a warning for caution.

According to sources on the 21st, Mr. A, who runs a flower shop in Yeonggwang-eup, Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do, received an order on the 20th from a man who introduced himself as Second Lieutenant Kim, affiliated with the 3rd Battalion, 96th Infantry Brigade, 31st Infantry Division, 2nd Operations Command of the Republic of Korea Army (formerly based in Yeonggwang, now located in Naju). The man requested four flower pots (200,000 KRW each) for a promotion ceremony. He also separately requested four bottles of wine (Chateau Margaux 2015), valued at around 3.5 million KRW in total.

Second Lieutenant Kim attached a photo of an official Ministry of National Defense document (purchase confirmation) containing the unit name, contact person, items, and amount, stating he would come to pick up the goods by 7 p.m. that day.

However, sensing something suspicious about the unusual order, Mr. A expressed reluctance, saying, "It is difficult to purchase such expensive wine in a small city like Yeonggwang."

In response, Second Lieutenant Kim sent a business card for a grocery store in Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, and persistently requested, "They have the wine in stock, so please purchase it from here."

A flowerpot prepared by the affected business owner. Courtesy of the contributor

Considering the circumstances, Mr. A suspected the order might be fraudulent and asked his acquaintances to look into Second Lieutenant Kim. Since the man's identity could not be verified, Mr. A prepared only the ordered flower pots and did not purchase the expensive wine.

Second Lieutenant Kim did not show up at the promised time to collect the flower pots and wine. Mr. A tried to contact him several times by phone, but received no response.

Upon inquiry with the relevant military unit, it was finally confirmed that Second Lieutenant Kim was not affiliated with the unit.

Mr. A said, "I've heard that recently there have been a series of incidents where flower shops receive orders for flower pots and wine, only for the customer to cut off contact. Fortunately, I did not suffer significant damage, but for small business owners struggling due to the recent economic downturn, these scams are as devastating as murder. I hope this scammer is caught as soon as possible," he said angrily.