Posing as Military Units to Place Large Orders, Then Disappearing
Demanding Money by Requesting Delivery... 28 Cases Reported in Gwangju
"An Evolved Scam Beyond No-Shows, Investigation to Expand"
"This is Captain Kim Minwoo from the ROK-US Combined Forces Command. I'd like to order 90 servings of sushi, please."
A, a self-employed restaurant owner in their 50s operating in Seo-gu, Gwangju, recently received a call like this and took the reservation. The caller, with a deep voice, introduced himself as a 'captain at the ROK-US Combined Forces Command' and even provided a specific date, saying he would visit the restaurant with his unit members. When A, feeling uneasy, asked for identification, the man sent a photo of his 'government employee ID.'
Although A had some doubts, they decided to trust the caller, thinking it was a good opportunity to make a significant daily profit. A carefully prepared the food, totaling around 1.7 million won. However, even after the scheduled time had passed, the customer never showed up. It was a no-show.
When A called back later, the response was shocking. The caller said, "There was an issue at the unit, so we can't come. Instead, please send the food to a distribution company in Gyeonggi Province." The delivery fee to the distribution company amounted to several hundred thousand won, and the caller added, "We'll pay for the food and the delivery once we receive the goods."
Only then did A realize it was a scam. After reporting it to the police, A found out that the phone number was likely a burner phone, and the mentioned distribution company was a non-existent 'ghost company.'
According to the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, this new type of scam?where scammers impersonate military personnel or correctional facility staff, place large food orders, and then use the no-show as a pretext?has already been reported 28 times in the Gwangju area alone this year. There was only 1 case in January, 4 cases in February, 2 cases in March, and as many as 21 cases just in April.
In most of the reported cases, the same figure, 'Captain Kim Minwoo,' appeared, and similar incidents involving impersonation of correctional facility staff have also been reported at local police stations in Gwangju.
Yoon Jaesang, head of the criminal investigation division at Gwangju Seobu Police Station, said, "This is a complex scam that goes beyond a simple no-show, as it lures victims into delivering goods to a distribution company and then extorts money?a 'no-show plus ghost delivery' scam." He advised, "When receiving large orders, it is necessary to take precautions such as confirming prepayments." He added, "This crime exploits the desperation of small business owners who rely on daily sales amid the economic downturn. We will narrow the investigation and ensure the perpetrators are caught."
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