Paju City Operates "Goods Purchase Verification Window" 24 Hours a Day
Yangju City Reports Actual Financial Losses... Urges Citizens to Beware of Scams
Recently, following a series of fraud cases in Paju and Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, in which scammers impersonated public officials to induce goods purchases and then stole money, local governments have initiated emergency measures to protect citizens.
Paju City has urgently established a "Dedicated Window for Verifying the Authenticity of Goods Purchases" and started operating it 24 hours a day to prevent citizens from suffering damages in advance, following two consecutive cases of similar fraud schemes. Provided by Paju City
On June 19, Paju City announced that, after two consecutive cases of similar fraud schemes, it has urgently established a "Dedicated Window for Verifying the Authenticity of Goods Purchases" and started operating it 24 hours a day to prevent citizens from suffering damages in advance.
Through this dedicated window, citizens can verify in real time whether requests for goods purchases delivered in the name of official documents or public officials are genuine. From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, callers are directly connected to the responsible public official via a dedicated phone number. Outside of these hours, they can receive a response on the next business day.
Paju City emphasized that recently there have been cases where scammers present forged official ID cards or fake documents to request large-scale deliveries or demand proxy payments, and therefore citizens should exercise particular caution. The city urged that, even if a request appears to be made in the name of a public institution, citizens must always verify its authenticity and immediately report any suspicious cases to the police.
Paju Mayor Kim Kyoungil stated, "Crimes involving impersonation of public officials are a serious issue that goes beyond simple fraud and undermine the trust in public institutions," adding, "We will strengthen our response system to protect citizens and continue to provide guidance and publicity to prevent further damages."
In Yangju as well, there have been a series of similar fraud cases recently, prompting heightened caution.
On June 16, an interior design company in Goam-dong received an inquiry about the possibility of supplying goods from an individual impersonating a city hall official. The scammer presented a forged official ID card photo, engaged in multiple phone calls, and arranged a meeting only to cancel at the last minute, raising suspicions. The company representative avoided damage by directly confirming with city hall that it was a scam.
On the same day, a general goods store in Deokjeong-dong received a scam call demanding the supply of "farming disaster prevention uniforms" using a forged business card and business registration certificate. The company transferred about 15 million won for the goods, but only realized it was a scam after being asked for an additional order. The amount already transferred is unlikely to be recovered.
An official from Yangju City emphasized, "Yangju City Hall never requests proxy purchases from private companies," and urged, "If you receive such a contact, please report it immediately to the police or city hall."
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