208 cases of fraud impersonating firefighting agencies in South Chungcheong Province detected... Damage of 421 million won

The Chungnam Fire Department warned that there were a series of cases of people impersonating fire agencies or firefighters to purchase goods and request payment.

According to the Chungnam Fire Department on the 23rd, there were 208 impersonation attempts confirmed in the province from April 2025 to September this year, and 25 businesses suffered financial damage of 421 million won.

It was found that the victim businesses remitted money according to the impersonator's request, but did not receive the actual goods.

It was revealed that impersonators stole official letters or business cards using names such as fire headquarters, fire station, and 119 general situation room to access the area by phone or text.

They tricked people into purchasing suffocating fire extinguishers, fire extinguishers, and automatic fire extinguishing devices by deceiving them by saying things like, “Relevant laws have been revised and fire extinguishers for lithium-ion batteries must be installed,” or “Fire inspections are scheduled.”

There have also been confirmed cases where people were deceived into thinking that if they purchased firefighting supplies, they could get the cost back through government subsidies or subsidies.

An official from the Chungnam Fire Department said, "If you are asked to purchase a specific item or send money in the name of a fire department, do not respond right away, but check the facts with the fire department in your jurisdiction or report it to the police."