Police "586 People Booked for Hoarding Related to COVID-19 Masks and More"

1321 Cases of Mask Sales Fraud Investigated... 97 Arrested
109 COVID-19 Fake News Cases Probed, 172 Indicted

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The police are continuing investigations into various incidents and accidents related to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

The National Police Agency announced on the 6th that it investigated 258 cases of mask hoarding and booked 586 people. The most common violation, with 79 cases (173 people), involved sellers who sold masks in large quantities but failed to report or underreported sales, violating the government's 'Emergency Supply and Demand Adjustment Measures.' In Seoul, three business operators were caught hoarding 60,000 masks for export to China and selling them without reporting sales to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Cases of storing large quantities of masks in warehouses and other places were next, with 71 cases (157 people). For example, 46 sales companies storing 3.67 million masks in warehouses within the Incheon International Airport logistics complex for profiteering were caught in a joint crackdown by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the police.

The police are also investigating 1,321 cases of mask sales fraud, where perpetrators approached victims claiming to sell masks but only took money without delivering the products. Among them, 215 people were booked and 97 were detained. The most frequent method involved deceiving victims on secondhand trading sites and social networking services (SNS) by pretending to sell masks and then disappearing after taking the money.

In particular, mask sales fraud has become increasingly sophisticated. There were cases of organized fraudulent activities or impersonation of manufacturers to embezzle large sums of mask supply payments.

Additionally, fake news involving false or manipulated information or personal data related to COVID-19 remains under investigation. The police investigated 109 cases related to fake news and booked 172 people.

Fake news, which spread rapidly from the early stages of COVID-19, surged mainly in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions but began to decline from mid-last month. However, the police plan to respond strictly, as fake news could resurge at any time.

Meanwhile, since the first confirmed domestic case on January 20 of this year, the number of 112 emergency reports related to COVID-19 has totaled 18,239 as of the 5th of this month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.