"Blocking Police-Reported Voice Phishing Numbers" SKT Offers Number Blocking Service

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] SK Telecom is launching a new voice phishing number blocking service. By blocking calls from or to numbers reported to the police, the company has enhanced its existing voice spam reception blocking service to include blocking outgoing calls from voice phishing numbers.

SK Telecom announced on the 24th that it signed a public-private cooperation memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to prevent crimes caused by voice phishing and will start providing the service from the 25th.

The voice phishing number blocking service is a process where the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency shares voice phishing numbers reported as victims with SK Telecom, and SK Telecom’s developed voice phishing number blocking system blocks SK Telecom customers from receiving or making calls to those numbers. Anyone who receives a suspicious voice phishing call or an unfamiliar text message can report the number to the police, and SK Telecom and the police will verify the voice phishing number and block the call.

SK Telecom and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency have been running a pilot operation of the voice phishing number blocking service since last month, and the results showed that more than 500 suspected voice phishing numbers were blocked, proving the effectiveness of damage prevention. The number blocking service will enter full operation starting on the 25th.

Since signing an MOU with the Financial Security Institute, the only financial security specialist institution in Korea, in April last year, SK Telecom has been operating a full-fledged voice phishing number blocking system since last month. SK Telecom and the Financial Security Institute have actively responded by blocking about 940 calls from approximately 60 numbers so far.

SK Telecom continuously carries out various activities to protect customers’ financial safety, including the Safe Call and Safe Block features in the T Phone app that automatically block calls with many spam or voice phishing reports, the Safe Ringtone feature that alerts users to spam and voice phishing calls in advance, and the Safe Recording feature that automatically records calls from high-risk numbers.

Additionally, SK Telecom has introduced a deep learning-based intelligent blocking system to respond to spam and smishing messages and has applied a multi-layer spam filtering system. Collaborating with the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), SK Telecom shares data to respond to spam messages and is the only domestic mobile carrier operating a voice spam blocking system, demonstrating multifaceted efforts.

Lee Ki-yoon, Head of Customer Value Innovation at SK Telecom, said, “Establishing the voice phishing number blocking process will have a significant effect in preventing customers from falling victim to voice phishing.” He added, “SK Telecom is engaged in various activities to prevent customer damage caused not only by voice phishing but also by spam and smishing messages, and will continue to practice ESG management that enables public and private sectors to solve social challenges together.”

SK Telecom urged customers to refrain from clicking links included in suspicious messages, avoid calls from unfamiliar people requesting financial information, and regularly update mobile antivirus programs as part of preventive efforts.