'Voice Phishing' Surge... Kwonikwi Issues Civil Complaint Forecast

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Son Seonhee] It has been revealed that complaints related to telephone financial fraud (voice phishing) have surged since last month's Lunar New Year holiday. Considering that voice phishing attempts have historically increased in March following the Lunar New Year, the government has issued a related complaint advisory.

According to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission on the 14th, a total of 19,487 complaints related to voice phishing (including reports and requests for damage relief) have been collected over approximately 3 years and 1 month since January 2019. The Commission has instructed relevant agencies, including the Financial Supervisory Service, to take measures regarding the rapidly increasing public inconvenience caused by these complaints.

The main types of voice phishing scams announced by the Financial Supervisory Service include: ▲ impersonating acquaintances on messenger apps to request money transfers ▲ using internet banking to fraudulently obtain card loan payments and deposits ▲ obtaining telebanking usage information through phone calls to embezzle money.

In case of voice phishing damage, victims should immediately report the incident to the National Police Agency, Financial Supervisory Service, and the customer centers of the remittance/deposit financial institutions to request a payment suspension. Additionally, victims can register the exposure of personal information in the Financial Supervisory Service’s Personal Information Exposure Accident Prevention System and check whether accounts or mobile phones opened under their name have been fraudulently created. Furthermore, victims should visit the nearest police station (cyber investigation unit) to respond by obtaining official confirmation documents of the incident.