The Voice Beyond the Receiver That Knows All My Information... How Did They Know to Call?

[The World of Illegal Personal Information Distribution Part 1]

Personal Information DBs Traded Without My Knowledge
'Loan DB', 'Mom Cafe DB', and Even COVID DB
Names, Phone Numbers, Interests, and Preferences Flowing Freely

[Asia Economy Reporters Seungyoon Song and Jeongyun Lee] "You inquired about a loan last time, right? We definitely guarantee approval."

After making a few calls because you needed a loan, you receive calls from lending companies you never contacted, offering loans. What's more, the person on the other end of the line knows the amount you need, your name, and the details of your consultation?your personal information is fully exposed. Everyone has probably received such a call at least once and wondered how this happened. The likelihood is very high that your personal information has fallen into someone else's hands without your knowledge.

The illegal trading of various personal information databases (DBs) online has been going on for quite some time. As DBs became valuable, a kind of market for buying and selling them formed, and illegal transactions have been actively conducted in various forms.

On the 22nd, posts selling various DBs were easily found on social networking services (SNS). DB sellers handle increasingly sophisticated databases to survive market competition. 'Loan DBs' and 'Entertainment DBs' containing personal information of visitors to entertainment venues are now basic. There are even 'Corona DBs' that collect personal information of those who sought or received emergency loans related to COVID-19, and 'Mom Cafe DBs' containing personal details of users of parenting community cafes.

These DBs are collected through various methods. The most representative is theft via hacking. Some sellers regularly receive data from hackers or hack data themselves to sell it. Online sites handling personal information are the main targets. One seller said, "We operate our own hacker team to gather information." Web crawling, a method using software to collect useful information online, is also frequently used. They also gather data by posing as various consultation callers or directly receive personal information from those who handle it.

The collected DBs are traded at prices ranging from 10 won to several thousand won per record. The price depends on how accurate and detailed the data is. Generally, the unit price decreases when purchased in bulk. Another seller said, "DBs made upon buyer requests are priced even higher," adding, "We have regular transactions when we meet people who need specific data."

These traded DBs are used not only for loan or product promotions but also for gambling and phishing crimes. Collecting and using personal information without separate consent like this violates the current Personal Information Protection Act and the Information and Communications Network Act. Nevertheless, hacking and illegal distribution continue because there is demand.

Experts emphasize that the government must actively act to prevent the illegal distribution of personal information. Gutaeon, representative lawyer of Law Firm Lin, explained, "DB sellers are active because crackdowns on illegal distribution of personal information are not properly enforced," adding, "If there is monitoring and signals of punishment, illegal distribution can decrease, so efforts from related agencies are necessary."