Clever Alcohol Sales Fraud Using Famous Celebrities' Names

Recently, there have been incidents of "no-show fraud" involving the use of names of famous celebrities and companies to make group reservations and then disappear or defraud money.

In this context, on the night of the 24th of last month, there was a peculiar attempt at fraud at a pub in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, according to a report by JTBC on the 6th.

The call received by the owner started out like an ordinary reservation inquiry. The caller mentioned the name of a famous celebrity, saying that they were planning to visit together.

The fraudster started the conversation by saying, "We’re calling because we are planning to visit with [celebrity's name]." They went on to specifically mention a certain type of whiskey, adding, "They mentioned that whiskey type as [whiskey type]."

Subsequently, the scammer introduced a specific liquor company and encouraged the owner to purchase expensive whiskey. When the suspicious owner called the number provided for the liquor company, the other party rushed them to place an order, claiming they would give a discount on a 30-year-old whiskey for 2.65 million won.

The scammer insisted, "Please let me know quickly. I need to place this order soon," which made the owner suspicious that it might be a scam.

Owner Jeong Taek-sang described the situation, saying, "It felt like the person who claimed to be with the liquor company was sitting there with someone else to carry out the fraud."

Feeling suspicious, Mr. Jeong requested a reservation fee of 200,000 won, and the fraudster hesitated for a moment before transferring the money under the name of a major entertainment agency.

However, when Mr. Jeong mentioned that he had ordered alcohol from another company, the situation changed drastically. Mr. Jeong recalled, "Within a minute, the manager of [celebrity's name] called again, asking why I hadn’t ordered the liquor from the company I mentioned."

The fraudster suddenly demanded a refund of the reservation fee, and when Mr. Jeong refused, they began to threaten him with abusive language.

Mr. Jeong reported, "They texted me with insults… saying my account would be frozen for a year because money from a voice phishing scam had been deposited…" He expressed that he was planning to file a police report.

Mr. Jeong pointed out that this type of fraud is particularly dangerous in today's economic downturn.

He explained, "Businesses are really struggling, so if a celebrity comes to a rural area, it can promote the store… It seems like they're targeting that to commit fraud."

Yet, he added, "It was somewhat refreshing. I felt like I got a little bit of revenge, at least in a small way…" noting that he took some solace in thwarting the fraudster's plan.

Naver TV 'JTBC News'

Image source: jtbc, material photo for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank