Busan Saha Police Station Awards Business Owner and Employee for Preventing Phishing Crime Involving High-Value Gift Card Purchases
The chief of Busan Saha Police Station personally visited and commended store owners who contributed to preventing voice phishing crimes. [Image source=Busan Police Agency]
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] #1. It was strange to see someone purchase as much as 500,000 won worth of cultural gift certificates at once.
#2. A woman in her 50s was lingering around the Google Gift Card section and tried to buy 750,000 won worth, which raised suspicion.
Merchants’ counterattack against voice phishing crimes has intensified.
Cases are increasing where middle-aged and older consumers buying high-value gift certificates catch the sharp eyes of store owners, frustrating the expectations of voice phishing or messenger phishing organizations.
On November 16 at around 6:20 p.m., at a bookstore in Saha-gu, Busan, the owner, Ms. A (a woman in her 50s), felt something was off when a female customer in her 50s tried to purchase 500,000 won worth of cultural gift certificates.
When asked why she was buying them, the customer said, “I received a purchase request text from my son.” Judging it to be 100% phishing, Ms. A advised her to call her son directly before making the purchase, preventing the crime.
The chief of Busan Saha Police Station personally visited and commended store owners who contributed to preventing voice phishing crimes. [Image source=Busan Police Agency]
On November 13 at around 11 a.m., Mr. B (a man in his 40s), an employee at a convenience store in Saha-gu, noticed a woman in her 50s lingering around the Google Gift Card section and trying to buy 750,000 won worth of gift cards, so he asked her the reason for the purchase.
When she said, “I received a purchase request text from my daughter,” he advised her to call her daughter, preventing the damage.
On September 21 at around 1 p.m., Mr. C (a man in his 60s), another convenience store owner in Saha-gu, stopped a woman in her 50s from purchasing Google Gift Cards.
This customer had also received a request via text from her daughter and had already bought about 600,000 won worth of gift cards at another convenience store before coming to this store for additional purchases.
Mr. C is known to have prevented phishing crimes involving gift card purchases three times this year.
The chief of the Saha Police Station in Busan personally visited these three citizens who contributed to preventing voice phishing crimes and presented them with certificates of commendation and appreciation.
Sergeant Lee Sang-min of the Saha Police Station’s Intelligence Team said, “If someone visits places selling gift certificates such as convenience stores or bookstores and tries to buy large amounts of gift certificates or Google Gift Cards, it is almost always related to voice phishing or messenger phishing crimes. You should verify directly with your children or report to 112.”
Chief Lee Chun-bong of Sinpyeong Police Box (Sergeant) explained, “As a result of visiting stores to promote prevention and attaching prevention guide stickers at each store to prevent frequent voice phishing and smishing, crime prevention has increased thanks to the cooperation of store owners and employees who followed these measures well. This is a successful case of ‘collaborative security’ between residents and the police.”
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