"Chairman Lee Jaeyong may attend..."
Scammer impersonates Samsung employee, pushes for expensive wine purchase
A small business owner has revealed that they received a bizarre group reservation call from a scammer impersonating a Samsung Electronics employee, raising concerns and calls for caution. Recently, new types of 'no-show scams' targeting self-employed individuals have become increasingly sophisticated.
Reservation message sent by a scammer impersonating a Samsung employee. Community 'Apeunikka Sajangida'
On July 3, a post titled "Chairman Lee Jaeyong is coming, so wine..." was uploaded to the online community for self-employed people, 'Apeunikka Sajangida.' The author, who runs a restaurant in Seoul, explained that they accepted a polite group reservation request for 20 people during a slow weekday period, only to notice suspicious circumstances.
According to the author, the person making the reservation claimed to be a 'deputy from the Samsung Town Physical Security Team' and sent a text message with a photo of their business card, as well as detailed information about the reservation time, menu, and number of attendees. The problem arose later. On the day of the reservation, the individual stated, "Chairman Lee Jaeyong may attend," and demanded that a specific wine, not available in the market, be purchased from a particular link by a certain time. The author said they immediately sensed it was a scam rather than a simple no-show.
The author shared, "I am posting this because I am worried that some self-employed people might enter the link and make a payment out of fear that a group reservation for 20 might be suddenly canceled on the day. Especially for new business owners, it is important to be careful not to fall for such schemes."
This type of 'group reservation scam' has recently been spreading nationwide. Scammers typically impersonate public institution employees, celebrity associates, or large company staff, using large gatherings or events as bait to make reservations, then requesting the purchase of specific items on their behalf. When victims prepay for items such as wine, lunchboxes, or gift sets, the scammers disappear with the money without delivering any goods.
The police have warned that these types of scams are becoming more organized and sophisticated, and have advised business owners who accept group reservations to always verify the identity of the other party independently. They also stressed that any requests for proxy purchases or financial transactions should be immediately refused. If a text message or email contains a payment link, the authenticity of the website must be thoroughly checked.
The National Police Agency has classified no-show scams as cybercrimes and is conducting intensive crackdowns through its dedicated phishing crime unit. The police have recommended, "If a group reservation includes a request to purchase expensive items, be sure to require advance payment or a deposit to prevent losses."
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