"Lost Hundreds of Thousands Trying to Buy Water"... 'Water Boys' Warning Issued in US

Two Victims Lose Over 1,355,000 Won
"Water Boys" Selling Bottled Water to Passing Cars

In Atlanta, United States, an incident occurred in which "Water Boys," individuals selling bottled water to passing cars, exploited QR codes and other methods to charge victims hundreds of thousands of won.

Fox News reported on the 30th (local time), "Two victims reportedly lost more than $1,000 (approximately 1,355,000 won)."

Two people drinking water in Phoenix. Photo to aid article understanding. Photo by AP News.

Richardson attempted to pay $2 (about 2,700 won) for water using Cash App, but $1,100 (about 1.49 million won) was withdrawn. He explained, "This happened after I handed my phone to one of the ten sellers."

Fox News also reported that a voice phishing incident occurred due to a malicious QR code. According to the report, the victim lost $800 (about 1.08 million won) after scanning a QR code provided by the Water Boys.

The victim explained, "The amount was withdrawn even though I did not check the amount, enter my PIN, or use fingerprint authentication."

There was also an incident in which the Water Boys drove away with a car. The victim recounted the incident, saying, "As I opened Cash App and tried to make a payment, I got out of the car to catch the boy who snatched my phone, but another boy who had been waiting drove away with my car."

Fox News reported that the activities of the Water Boys are becoming increasingly severe. Atlanta police told Fox News, "Over the past month, four crimes related to the Water Boys?including armed robbery, aggravated assault, and multiple thefts by deception?have been reported near the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta."

Rajeev Garg, a professor at Emory University, told Fox News that as more people use digital payments, phishing scams using QR codes are increasing. He warned, "Do not scan random QR codes," and added, "If the QR code information is not accurate, it could be a scam." He also emphasized that you should never hand over your phone, even to someone you trust, saying, "You should open the payment app yourself and enter the amount and username directly."