"500,000 Won Fine If You Don't Buy a Fire Extinguisher"... 'Fire Official Impersonation Phone Scams' on the Rise

Kitchen Fire Extinguisher Inflated 100-Fold in Price
Forged Official Letters in the Name of the Jeonnam Governor Used
Restaurant Owner's Quick Thinking Narrowly Prevents Scam

"We're conducting a fire safety inspection. If you don't have a fire extinguisher worth 4 million won, you'll be fined 5 million won immediately."

At around 12:20 p.m. on May 18, when the restaurant was unusually crowded with lunchtime customers, the owner, Mr. A, of "Wondonggisa Restaurant" located in Wondong-ri, Gunoe-myeon, Wando-gun, Jeonnam, felt his heart sink at the high-pressure voice coming through the phone. The man, claiming to be a fire authority official, aggressively notified the owner of a "4 p.m. inspection" that day, interrogating him as if he were a criminal.

A view of Wondong Gisa Restaurant in Wando County, Jeollanam-do, where the fire authorities verified the facts to prevent fraud damage. Photo by Lee Jungkyung

Taking advantage of heightened social anxiety about fire safety due to incidents such as electric vehicle fires, a new type of "fire official impersonation phone scam" using forged official documents in the name of the Governor of Jeollanam-do is rampant throughout the Jeonnam region.

The scam targets restaurants during their busiest hours, clouding the owner's judgment and extorting millions of won. In neighboring cities and counties in Jeonnam, there have already been numerous cases of actual financial loss, prompting law enforcement to go on high alert.

"It Started at 400,000 Won, Ended at 4 Million"... Gaslighting With the Threat of Heavy Fines

The impersonators carried out their scheme by targeting the vulnerabilities of small business owners. They specifically aimed for the chaotic lunchtime rush between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. as the window for their crime.

At first, the impersonator casually told Mr. A, the restaurant owner, "Due to recently strengthened fire regulations, you are required to purchase a fire extinguisher worth 400,000 won." However, as the conversation progressed, he revealed his true intentions, changing his story to, "Upon closer inspection, you are required to purchase two sets of expensive lithium portable fire extinguishers, totaling 4 million won."

He then threatened, "If this product is not present at the 4 p.m. inspection today, you will be fined 5 million won on the spot." Initially, they lowered the owner's guard with a relatively modest amount, but ultimately, they intimidated the small business owner into believing he would face a massive fine unless he purchased equipment worth several million won.

A forged official document in the name of the governor of Jeollanam-do, sent via text messages by impersonators to restaurant owners to convince them during the crime. The number written at the bottom was confirmed to be the contact information of a scam organization inducing remittance by baiting with national subsidy refunds. Photo by Lee Jungyeong

While Mr. A was flustered, the impersonator made a secretive suggestion. He claimed that although the product costs 4 million won, using a government subsidy would allow Mr. A to save money. The impersonator persistently urged a wire transfer, saying, "If you pay the 4 million won up front to purchase the product now, the government will reimburse you for the full amount as a subsidy, so don't worry."

The Owner's Quick Thinking in a Crisis... Spotting a "100-Fold Inflated Scam" Using Connections

The psychological pressure didn't end there. To instill confidence, the impersonator sent a photo via text message of an official document featuring the name and seal of the Governor of Jeollanam-do.

At the bottom of the document was another contact number, and the impersonator reassured the victim by saying, "If you call this number, you will be guided through the specific administrative procedures for receiving the government subsidy refund." With an official government seal in front of him, it was nearly impossible not to believe the situation was legitimate.

What stopped Mr. A from becoming a victim of the 4 million won scam was his cool-headed and wise response. Rather than being intimidated by the impersonator's pressure and the governor's official letter, he grew suspicious about "a government office requesting an upfront payment to a specific company over the phone."

Mr. A immediately contacted an acquaintance who works at the fire station and thoroughly cross-checked the facts, asking, "Is there really an unannounced fire inspection today at 4 p.m. ordered through a governor's letter?"

Upon confirmation with Wando Fire Station through his firefighter acquaintance, it was revealed that both Jeonnam Province and the fire headquarters had never sent such a notice—it was a "100% forged official document." The fire station especially clarified, "For a general restaurant kitchen, as long as a 'K-class kitchen fire extinguisher' costing around 40,000 won is properly installed, there are no issues under fire safety regulations."

According to general kitchen fire safety regulations for restaurants, a 'Kitchen Class K fire extinguisher' (left), costing around 40,000 won, is sufficient. The impersonator initially induced the purchase of a fire extinguisher worth about 400,000 won (middle) but later forcibly notified that purchasing an expensive 'lithium portable fire extinguisher' (right), totaling 4 million won, was mandatory. Photo by Lee Jung-kyung

The impersonators had attempted to inflate the required equipment—normally costing 40,000 won—by 100 times, coercing the purchase of expensive equipment worth 4 million won. Thanks to Mr. A's composure and fact-checking through his fire department connections, "Wondonggisa Restaurant" narrowly avoided falling victim to the scam.

Impersonators Have All Disappeared... Fire Authorities Urge Restaurant Owners to Conduct Thorough Verification

Our reporters tried to contact the number listed on the forged official document and the numbers from which the impersonators had called Mr. A several times, but no one answered, and all of them have since cut off contact and disappeared. This is a typical pattern of voice phishing organizations, who erase their tracks and flee once the conditions for their crime are no longer met.

Park Seokho, head of the safety team at Wando Fire Station, stated, "Official fire inspections are always notified in advance through proper administrative procedures, and under no circumstances do the fire station or the provincial office designate a specific company to request upfront payment or threaten fines on site." He highly praised the restaurant owner's response, saying, "Like the owner of Wondonggisa Restaurant, the best prevention is to never transfer money immediately upon receiving a suspicious call, and to directly verify the facts with fire authorities."

The fire authorities repeatedly stressed that no matter how official a document may look or how severe the fine may seem, the moment money is discussed over the phone, it should be recognized as a scam. They urged the public to hang up immediately and report the incident to 119 or the main number of the local fire station to verify the facts.

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