"Hwaseong City Hall Official" Scam Cases Increasing as Real Names Are Impersonated

Hwaseong City Urges Caution
Against Requests for Payment on Behalf of Others

As scams involving impersonation of public officials and fraudulent payment of goods continue to occur, there is now a heightened need for caution as recent cases have involved the use of real names of current public officials.

The city of Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, recently urged citizens to exercise particular caution after an attempted scam in which the real name of a city hall official was used to demand payment for goods on behalf of another party.

According to the city’s investigation, a person impersonating a Hwaseong city official recently contacted local eyewear shops and disinfection companies, demanding payment for goods. In the process, the scammer used a fake business card that included the actual name, job title, and department of a current official.

The city explained that the targeted businesses were able to prevent losses because they suspected the scam and contacted the relevant department, confirming that the official in question had never made such a request.

This scam attempt appears to be similar to previous cases in which scammers present forged official documents or business cards, demand that businesses purchase and deliver goods to other companies, and then provide a fake account for advance payment, with the intention of stealing only the payment for the goods.

Currently, the businesses that received these contacts immediately recognized the scam attempt and reported it to the local police station, and the city also submitted a formal complaint against the suspect to the relevant authorities.

A city official stated, "The methods used in these scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, as they now exploit not only the real names of public officials but also their actual departmental information to gain citizens’ trust. If you receive requests for money or payment of goods via personal phone calls, please always verify the facts through official channels."