"Please Handle the Campaign Vehicle Contract" ... Scam Attempts Impersonating Democratic Party Officials During Election Season Confirmed in South Gyeongsang Province

As the 9th nationwide local elections approach, attempts to impersonate political party officials for fraudulent purposes have been reported across the country, with such an incident confirmed in South Gyeongsang Province as well.

According to the Democratic Party of Korea, Gyeongnam Provincial Party, on the morning of the 18th at around 10:30 a.m., a person identifying themselves as a "Democratic Party official" called a job placement agency in Masan Hoewon District, Changwon City, South Gyeongsang Province.

The caller said, "We need manpower for election campaign preparation and leaflet distribution," and added, "We need to contract a campaign vehicle. If you know of a company, please handle the contract on our behalf," while requesting the business registration certificate and a quotation.

The caller then presented a photo of a business card and said, "The campaign vehicle company is quoting us an unreasonably high price. Please have the head of the job placement agency negotiate with the company to adjust the price on our behalf."

Believing the caller, the job placement agency and its workers visited the Democratic Party of Korea, Gyeongnam Provincial Party office the following day, May 19. It was only then that they realized the person they had spoken with did not exist at the provincial party office, and the request for a proxy contract for the campaign vehicle was a scam.

A photo of a business card presented by an individual impersonating a member of the Democratic Party of Korea Gyeongnam Provincial Party.
[Photo by Democratic Party of Korea Gyeongnam Provincial Party]

The business card photo presented by the caller stated, "Kang Jihoon, Head of Public Relations, Democratic Party of Korea, 9th Nationwide Local Election, Gyeongsangnam-do Election Countermeasures Committee," and the address listed was not the actual provincial party office, but rather "Sangnam-dong, Seongsan-gu, Changwon City."

The provincial party also reported that there had previously been several calls from victims who had received phone calls from the same number as on the business card.

A provincial party official said, "Scammers are approaching people by using business card images and job titles as if they are real party officials," and added, "They may ask you to handle a campaign vehicle contract on their behalf or offer commissions. There is a very high possibility that they will induce money transfers by saying that if you pay the down payment first, they will visit you in person and settle the amount with a sum exceeding the down payment."

The official pointed out that this is similar to the so-called "no-show scam" that occurred during last year's 21st presidential election, in which individuals impersonating the Democratic Party of Korea made large-scale reservations at restaurants and hotels or placed large orders and then disappeared without paying.

The provincial party official urged, "If someone impersonates a party official and requests a money transfer or proxy contract, do not comply under any circumstances. All election-related contracts should be made only after confirming with official documents and the person in charge. Even if someone uses a business card image, party official's card, or election-related terms, you must reconfirm whether they are actual party officials."

They added, "The provincial party will respond strongly to impersonation and fraud, and will do its utmost to prevent further damage in cooperation with relevant authorities."

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