Gyeonggi Province Establishes 'Employee Verification System' to Prevent Impersonation of Civil Servants

Gyeonggi Province is launching the 'Gyeonggi Province Government Office Employee Verification System' starting from the 21st to protect residents from impersonation crimes targeting civil servants.

Recently, crimes impersonating civil servants and public institution employees using forged business cards and official documents have been increasing. The modus operandi involves targeting companies that have previously done business with the province and public institutions using disclosed contract information, then requesting advance purchases of goods, advance payments, or bill settlements.

From last year through September this year, there were a total of 183 attempted fraud cases impersonating Gyeonggi Province civil servants, with actual financial losses occurring in 13 cases. The total damage amounts to approximately 351.7 million won.

Following the issuance of a caution regarding civil servant impersonation fraud in October last year, the province, reflecting suggestions from residents, has established a system that allows immediate verification of employee employment status with a single search.

The service is available through the 'Gyeonggi Province Government Office Employee Verification' menu under 'Gyeonggi Province Introduction - Organizational Chart' on the Gyeonggi Province website (gg.go.kr). By entering the department, name, phone number, and email listed on the business card in question, users can determine whether the employee is actually working at the Gyeonggi Province Government Office.

If any of the entered information does not match with Gyeonggi Province personnel information, an alert message stating 'This person is not an employee of the Gyeonggi Province Government Office' appears, along with guidance to contact the Gyeonggi Province main number (031-120) if impersonation is suspected.

Even if the search confirms the person as an employed staff member, it is advisable to directly call the employee contact information provided in the system before proceeding with transactions.

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

In cases of new phishing damage involving no-show fraud or other schemes disguised as transactions for goods or services, reports should be made immediately to 112 or the Integrated Reporting Center for Telecommunications and Financial Fraud (1394). Subsequently, financial companies can temporarily suspend suspicious accounts for up to 7 business days, and if necessary, through the review by the Financial Intelligence Unit and police requests, transaction suspension can be maintained for up to 60 business days.