After Scammers Target Sonbul Cafe, Bed-Stuy Raises $5K

BROOKLYN, NY— Sonbul Cafe in Bed-Stuy had been open less than a month when its owner, Taeil Kim, was the victim of an elaborate scam that cost his business more than $5,000, he told Patch.

Sonbul Cafe, which serves crowd-pleasing Korean comfort food and cafe staples, started as a pop-up at Burly Coffee a year ago before taking over the whole location on Throop Avenue between Kosciuszko Street and Dekalb Avenue this September.

Following the scam, Kim, a Crown Heights local, used GoFundMe to raise the money he had lost, and within three days of launching the fundraiser, he met his goal, he said.

As of Tuesday, the GoFundMe page raised $5,353 from more than 100 different donors, comprised of Bed-Stuy neighbors, cafe regulars and friends, Kim said.

Since this iteration of his cafe is so new, the scam could have toppled his business, Kim said.

"I'm a first-time business owner. It's not like I had a ton of capital to begin with, so it could have been really bad," Kim told Patch.

Here's what happened: In the first week of October, scammers posing as officials for the power company Con Edison contacted Kim, asking him to make extra payments or risk the power going out in his business, he told Patch.

Kim said the scam went on for a week and included a few payments made through the payment transfer app Zelle, which briefly appeared on his actual Con Ed account, before scammers eventually pocketed the money.

According to ConEd, scammers sometimes impersonate its employees and demand immediate payment through third-party payment transfer sites, threatening to turn off the power or gas if the payment isn't received immediately.

Kim told Patch he was hesitant about fundraising for his cafe but was glad he spoke up about his experience.

"I was very nervous about fundraising, but a friend encouraged me to do it," Kim said. "It was very heartwarming to see the response. It seems like people actually really love our space and don't want to see us close down. I'm very touched."

Sonbul Cafe is located at 356 Throop Ave. See the fundraiser here.