"No-show" Scams Surge in Gwangju... Police Issue Special Alert

Impersonating Military Units and Fire Departments for Large Food Orders, Then Disappearing
Scammers Demand Proxy Purchases of Combat Rations... Damages Reach 60 Million Won

Gwangju Police Agency building.

In Gwangju, so-called "no-show" scams?where perpetrators impersonate military units, correctional facilities, or fire departments to place large food orders at restaurants and then disappear without contact?are rapidly increasing. On April 25, the Gwangju Police Agency issued a special alert and urged the public to exercise caution in response to the recent surge in cases.

According to the police, there have been a total of 38 reported no-show scam cases in the Gwangju area from January to April 20, with 31 of those cases occurring in April. In particular, 15 cases were concentrated between April 11 and April 13.

The scammers impersonated military officers, correctional facility staff, or firefighters to order dozens to hundreds of meal boxes or food portions. They presented forged official documents and employee IDs, and demanded proxy purchases of combat rations, bulletproof vests, and emergency kits. The amount of damages ranged from a minimum of 3.6 million won to a maximum of 66 million won.

They also meticulously forged documents such as business registration certificates and transaction statements to make the transactions appear legitimate, and provided fake business cards to lower the victims' guard.

Upon receiving reports, the police immediately launched an investigation, consolidated cases involving the same methods, and designated Gwangju Seobu Police Station as the lead investigative agency to track down the suspects.

A police official stated, "Since burner phones and fraudulent bank accounts are used, it is extremely difficult to recover damages, so prevention is paramount." The official emphasized, "For large orders, require advance payment and verify the institution's official contact number. Any proxy purchase request is 100% a scam, so please report it immediately to 112."