SEOUL– Dozens of fraud reports have been filed with police in connection with bogus sales of urea water solution amid a worsening shortage of the key material used to reduce emissions of diesel-powered vehicles, officials said Monday.
A total of 34 cases of online fraud purporting to sell urea water solution were reported to police, the cybercrime department of the National Police Agency said, adding it will designate an investigative unit that will look exclusively into such cases.
Police advised people to be careful when purchasing products much lower than the market price and check whether the seller has a record of being reported for fraud through NPA’s mobile app that tracks such activities.
Choi Kwan-ho, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, also said the police will actively respond to acts of hoarding urea and illegal remodeling of vehicles in a way that makes it possible for the vehicles to operate without the material.
South Korea has been grappling with a shortage of urea and its surging prices in recent weeks, since China tightened exports of fertilizers and related materials, including urea, in October amid a power crisis caused by a coal supply shortage.
South Korea heavily relies on China for its supply of urea water solution, as 97.6 percent of its imports came from the country in the first nine months of this year.
Source: Yonhap News Agency