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Fraudsters impersonate star chef's restaurant in reservation scam

Published: 24 Mar. 2025, 19:34 Updated: 25 Mar. 2025, 13:49

YIM SEUNG-HYE
[email protected]

Star chef Anh Sung-jae in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, on Oct. 17. [NEWS1]

Star chef Anh Sung-jae of three-Michelin-starred Mosu has warned the public about a reservation scam in which fraudsters impersonate his restaurant to collect fake deposits.

In a post shared via the restaurant's Instagram on March 22, the restaurant announced that it had confirmed criminal activity involving call forwarding.

“We discovered a scam where individuals impersonated KT [Korea Telecom] to reroute calls to Mosu’s phone number, requesting meal payments from customers,” the post said. The restaurant added that the incident has been reported to police.

Mosu emphasized that it accepts deposits only through the CatchTable platform and never via direct bank transfer.

“If you are asked to transfer money for a reservation outside of CatchTable, please note that it is unrelated to Mosu and should be treated with caution,” the post continued.

The restaurant, which earned three stars in the 2023 Michelin Guide, reopened on March 22 following a period of reorganization.

Despite its high price — dinner courses start at 420,000 won ($315) per person — reservations have quickly filled, reflecting Ahn’s strong reputation.

Ahn gained wider public attention last year as a judge on the Netflix cooking competition series “Culinary Class Wars,” where he appeared as a judge.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [[email protected]]