Gyeonggi Province Launches Employee Verification System to Prevent Impersonation Crimes

Gyeonggi Province has constructed the 'Gyeonggi Province Government Employee Verification System' to protect residents from crimes involving civil servant impersonation, and will begin service from September 21st.

Recently, crimes impersonating civil servants or public institution employees using forged business cards and official documents have been increasing. The method involves using publicly available contract information to approach companies that have previously transacted with the province and public institutions, then requesting purchases of goods on behalf of others or demanding advance payments and bill transfers.

From last year through September of this year, there have been 183 attempted fraud cases impersonating Gyeonggi Province civil servants, with 13 cases resulting in actual financial damage. Total losses amount to 351.7 million won.

Following the issuance of a civil servant impersonation fraud alert in October of last year, the province has established a system that reflects resident suggestions and allows citizens to immediately verify an employee's employment status with a single search.

The service is available through the 'Gyeonggi Province Government Employee Verification' menu under 'About Gyeonggi Province - Organization Chart' on the Gyeonggi Province website (gg.go.kr). By entering the department, name, phone number, and email listed on the business card requiring verification, users can check whether the employee actually works at the Gyeonggi Province Government.

If any of the entered information does not match Gyeonggi Province personnel records, a notice stating 'This person is not a Gyeonggi Province Government employee' will appear, along with guidance to contact the Gyeonggi Province main phone line (031-120) in case of suspected impersonation.

Even if a search confirms the person as an active employee, it is recommended to call the employee's contact information provided in the system directly before conducting any transactions.

Suh Ki-cheon, director of the General Affairs Division of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "We have established this system to prevent damage caused by forged business cards and false contact information used by impersonators," and added, "If you receive a suspicious contact, please verify it through the employee verification system and the Gyeonggi Province call center (031-120) before making any transfers or purchases."

If new types of phishing fraud such as no-show scams occur involving transactions of goods or services, immediate reports should be made to 112 or the Integrated Reporting Center for Telecommunications and Financial Fraud (1394). Subsequently, financial companies can temporarily freeze suspicious accounts for up to 7 business days, and if necessary, through review by the Financial Intelligence Unit and police requests, transaction freezes can be maintained for up to 60 business days.