Beware of Contract Scams Impersonating Public Officials... Pohang City Urges Caution for Citizens and Businesses

Verify Authenticity When Receiving Contract Requests or Purchase Proposals Related to Public Institutions

Pohang City has urged citizens and local businesses to exercise special caution and vigilance to prevent similar damages in the region, in light of contract scams impersonating public officials that have recently occurred nationwide.

These scams typically involve perpetrators pretending to be employees of city halls or public institutions, using fake business cards and forged official documents to attempt to sign supply contracts or demand advance payments.

Recently, in a hardware store in Pohang, an individual impersonating a city hall official presented a false official document and demanded the supply of goods. However, the merchant, suspicious of the request, directly contacted the city hall to verify the legitimacy, thereby thwarting the scam attempt.

To prevent such incidents, Pohang City emphasized that when receiving contract requests or purchase proposals, the 'department name' and the 'real name of the person in charge' must always be verified, and the authenticity should be confirmed through the Pohang City main phone number or other official channels.

The city also advised that if a transaction is being rushed under the pretext of an 'urgent schedule' or 'emergency delivery,' if someone tries to proceed with the transaction only by phone without documentation, or if someone visits in person with official-looking documents to induce a transaction, these situations should always be treated with suspicion and proper verification procedures should be followed.

A city official added, "Official public servants do not request transactions through personal mobile phones, nor do they ever ask for money to be deposited into personal accounts. If you receive suspicious documents such as forged business cards, official letters, or contracts, or suspect any fraudulent activity, please report it immediately to Pohang City or the nearest police station."

Pohang City is conducting various promotional activities, including using social media, to alert citizens and prevent similar damages in advance.