Restaurant Owner Duped by Impersonator Claiming to be Samsung Employee

In recent weeks, a series of scams involving impersonation of celebrities and entertainment figures have emerged across South Korea. One such incident involved a restaurant owner who received a bizarre reservation request from someone posing as a Samsung Electronics employee.

On July 3, a post titled 'Chairman Lee Jae-Yong is coming, please prepare wine...' appeared in the self-employed community 'It Hurts to be a Boss.' The author shared that their establishment typically does not accept reservations during busy hours, but received a polite call requesting a reservation for 20 people the following day.

Despite it being a weekday, the owner agreed to the reservation and sent a photo of the menu as requested by the caller, who claimed they needed to report to their superiors. Shortly after, the owner received a lengthy text message along with a photo of a business card.

The card identified the caller as 'Kim ○○, Deputy of the Physical Security Team at Samsung Town,' detailing the reservation time, number of guests, and menu items. The card also included the team name, phone number, and email address, all indicating affiliation with Samsung Electronics' security team.

On the day of the reservation, around 3 PM, the owner received another call from the impersonator. The caller mentioned that 'Chairman Lee Jae-Yong might attend' and bizarrely requested the owner to purchase a specific wine that is not available in stores via a link by 7 PM.

Sensing a scam, the owner told the caller to find another venue for their gathering. They expressed concern that inexperienced restaurant owners might fall for such tricks, potentially leading to financial loss.

Netizens reacted with disbelief, commenting on the prevalence of such scams and the poor execution of the impersonation, questioning the legitimacy of the email address and the use of 'Samsung Town.'

This incident is part of a larger trend of 'No-Show' scams, where fraudsters impersonate public officials, celebrity managers, or political figures to solicit unauthorized purchases. The modus operandi typically involves proposing large contracts and then requesting payment for goods from a fictitious third party. Once the victim sends the payment, the scammers disappear.

The police are actively working to combat these No-Show scams. They have issued warnings that if someone claims to be a public official requesting purchases, it is likely a scam, and transactions should be halted immediately. They emphasized that public institutions never ask for proxy purchases or bank transfers. If suspicious, individuals are advised to hang up and report to the authorities immediately. Additionally, the police have designated a specialized unit to investigate these cyber-based scams, including phishing schemes and investment frauds.