"I'm an Administrative Officer at the ○○ Department..." Hwaseong City Warns of Public Official Impersonation Scams

Request for Proxy Purchase Using Forged Official Documents
Citizens Warned of Scams Involving Impersonation of Public Officials

"This is the administrative officer from the ○○ department at city hall..." Recently, there has been a series of scams involving impersonation of public officials or forgery of official documents, and such an incident has also occurred in Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province, prompting a warning for citizens to be vigilant.

An example of a forged official document impersonating Hwaseong City. Hwaseong City urged that if you receive suspicious official documents or phone calls regarding purchases of goods, you must verify them with the city hall. Provided by Hwaseong City

According to Hwaseong City on May 14, a person identified as A, who operates a small business in Namyang-eup, recently received a phone call from someone impersonating a city hall administrative officer, urgently requesting proxy purchasing services.

Feeling suspicious, A immediately contacted the city hall call center and the relevant department to verify the facts. Upon investigation, it was found that while the department mentioned in the call did exist, the name and position of the caller did not.

The city determined that this case used a method similar to scams that have recently become frequent, involving impersonation of military unit or local government officials, and decided to request an official investigation into the incident.

The city urged citizens to exercise particular caution, advising that if someone claims to be a public official in a suspicious manner, they must check the official contact information on the city hall website or report the incident to authorities such as 112.

A Hwaseong City official stated, "Methods of deceiving citizens by impersonating public officials or forging official documents are becoming increasingly sophisticated," and added, "If you receive a contact from someone whose affiliation is unclear, please be sure to verify the facts through official channels."