"Buy a Fire Extinguisher for the Revised Fire Services Act"... New Impersonation Scam on the Rise

Damages from Fire Agency Impersonation Scams Reach 3 Billion Won in One Year
AI-Manipulated Photos Targeting the Elderly Used to Demand Refunds

Recently, there have been warnings about a new type of scam in which fraudsters impersonate public institutions and send fake official documents, demanding money by claiming that certain items must be purchased.

According to Yonhap News Agency on June 28, numerous testimonies have been posted on the self-employed business owners’ community “Apunikka Sajangida,” reporting that scams are rampant in which individuals impersonate district offices or fire and disaster headquarters to coerce people into buying fire safety products.

Fake official documents impersonating district offices and other institutions. Screenshot from "Because It Hurts, It’s the Boss."

Typically, scammers pose as district office or fire headquarters officials and claim that “the Fire Services Act has been revised” or that “government subsidies are available.” They then insist, “You must have lithium-ion fire extinguishers and fire blankets.” Next, they pressure their targets by saying, “A district office inspection is scheduled for next week, so you need to prepare in advance.” To avoid suspicion, they also send forged official documents and estimates manipulated to appear as if they were issued by district offices or fire authorities.

The National Fire Agency is aware of these crimes and is preparing countermeasures. According to statistics from the agency, as of April 2026, there were a total of 1,309 cases of crimes nationwide over the past year involving impersonation of fire agencies. Of these, 161 businesses suffered actual financial losses. The total amount of damages reached approximately 2.95 billion won. However, this statistic does not include cases where entities impersonated district offices or other public institutions, nor does it cover attempted scams that did not result in losses, so the actual scale of damages is estimated to be even greater.

Image of undercooked chicken generated by AI. Screenshot from an online community.

Meanwhile, as one in three self-employed individuals in Korea is aged 60 or older, there has also been an increase in new scam cases exploiting artificial intelligence (AI). According to the National Assembly Futures Institute’s report “Structural Transformation of the Self-Employed Market and Policy Challenges,” as of 2024, 32.9% of sole proprietors were 60 or older, up 14.5 percentage points from 18.4% in 2011. Among business types, the restaurant industry saw an increase from 17.1% to 27.5% over the same period, a rise of around 10 percentage points.

This trend is interpreted as more elderly people opening restaurants after retirement due to the relatively low entry barrier. Scammers exploit their unfamiliarity with digital environments by manipulating photos of delivery food using AI and then claiming “there was hair in the food,” “the chicken was undercooked,” or “a cockroach was found,” to demand refunds.

In response, organizations representing small business owners have emphasized the need to significantly strengthen education on scam cases and preventive activities.

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