Bottled Water Order Sent with Official Document... Gyeongnam Provincial Office Issues Warning on Public Official Impersonation Scam

Forgery of Official Documents and Impersonation of Public Officials in Attempted Goods Purchase Scam
Always Verify Employees' Real Names and Contact Information

As scams involving impersonation of public officials are rampant nationwide, a similar case has occurred in Gyeongnam Province, prompting a call for caution.

According to Gyeongnam Province on June 13, a complaint was filed the previous day stating, "A person claiming to be a provincial government official requested the delivery of bottled water for a festival. Please verify whether this request is legitimate." The complaint was submitted by a representative of a bottled water supply company.

Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office building. Provided by Gyeongnam Province

The company informed the complaint call center that, during the bottled water supply process, it had even received an official document bearing the seal of the Gyeongnam Governor. The document, created by the impersonator, featured the official seal of the Gyeongnam Governor and closely resembled the actual documents used by the provincial government. However, the employees named in the document did not actually exist, and the phone numbers and other information provided were also false.

This was ultimately a method similar to recent scams involving impersonation of public officials to purchase goods. Upon recognizing that the inquiry was a scam, Gyeongnam Province notified the bottled water supplier, and the company also identified the request as fraudulent, thereby avoiding any damage.

The provincial government promptly posted relevant information on the Gyeongnam Province website to inform its employees and issued an official notification to cities, counties, and districts nationwide regarding the incident.

Kim Heeyong, Director of Administration at Gyeongnam Province, urged, "If you receive a call from someone introducing themselves as a public official and requesting the delivery of goods, please make sure to verify the department's contact information through the official website of the relevant institution," and added, "Please exercise special caution to prevent any damage caused by scams."

Previously, in Goyang and Paju, Gyeonggi Province, there were attempted scams in which individuals impersonated administrative support officials from city hall to induce the delivery of goods. In these cases, the impersonators reportedly sent forged official documents and business cards bearing counterfeit seals to company representatives via mobile phone, urging them to make deliveries. Fortunately, the companies became suspicious of the documents and business cards, which listed only personal mobile phone numbers instead of official administrative numbers, and directly contacted the relevant departments to verify the facts, thereby preventing any losses.