Yangsan City Hall Impersonated in Fake Wastewater Facility Support Document Scam

Authorities are warning the public to exercise caution following a recent scam in which fraudsters impersonated the Yangsan City Hall in Gyeongsangnam-do, approaching businesses under the guise of supporting environmental management facilities and swindling large sums of money.

On the afternoon of August 25, a man in his 60s surnamed A, who operates a gas station in Yangsan, received a phone call while at work.

The caller, who identified himself as an employee of the Water Quality Management Division at Yangsan City Hall, told A, "We will come to inspect your wastewater treatment facility on the 27th, so be prepared."

Because the gas station has a car wash and officials from the city hall had indeed occasionally conducted wastewater treatment inspections in the past, A agreed and hung up.

Shortly after, the caller phoned A back and said, "The operational environment management standards for wastewater treatment facilities have been strengthened, and the city sent out an official document regarding support for environmental management facilities. Why didn't you apply?" He added, "The application deadline was last month, but if you apply by today, you can get a refund for the equipment installation cost."

The caller also warned, "If you do not install this facility, you will face a fine of up to 8 million won," and instructed, "I will contact the company that installs these environmental management facilities, so you just need to get a cost estimate and have it installed."

Feeling burdened by the potential fine and thinking it was fortunate that he could still get a refund for the installation costs if he applied by today, A believed the caller.

A said, "After hanging up, the person even sent me his business card and an official document related to Yangsan City Hall," adding, "I had previously received calls from the city hall regarding wastewater treatment issues, and since he knew the details of the wastewater inspections so well, I had no choice but to believe him."

Subsequently, another man, surnamed C, called A claiming to be from an environmental management equipment company and sent A an estimate stating 20.9 million won.

Stating that he did not have a large sum of money on hand, A transferred 13 million won to the account provided by C after negotiating to deposit only 13 million won first and pay the remaining amount on the 27th when city officials were scheduled to visit for the wastewater treatment inspection.

However, feeling uneasy shortly afterward, A contacted Yangsan City Hall to verify whether such an equipment support project actually existed, only to find out that everything the caller had said was false.

Yangsan City does not run any such project, and the name given by the caller did not even exist among city employees.

A immediately reported the case to the police, but the phone number for C only played a recorded message stating that the number was linked to voice phishing and could no longer be reached.

A expressed his frustration, saying, "When I first called Yangsan City, they told me there have been many such scams lately," and added, "If that is the case, shouldn't they have issued an official document or notified gas station businesses to be careful?"

An official from the city stated, "Upon reviewing the document received by A, both the format and content were fabricated, and local governments do not individually notify people about support projects." The official added, "Impersonation schemes are becoming increasingly sophisticated, so if you receive a similar call, you need to contact the city hall directly to verify."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.