A Police Officer on Medical Leave Battling Cancer Prevented Fraud by Sensing Voice Phishing from the Words "You Go First"

"Make Deposits That Take Longer First," Crime Intuition
Diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer Last October and Took Leave
Prevented Damage Worth 17 Million Won

A third-year police officer on leave after being diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer caught a voice phishing (telephone financial fraud) collector. Thanks to this, the victim was able to recover 17 million won.

According to Yonhap News on the 5th, Police Officer Jeong Sewon of the Cheongju Sangdang Police Station in Chungbuk witnessed a suspicious man in front of an ATM at a bank in Iksan, Jeonbuk, on the afternoon of the 30th of last month.

Officer Jeong felt something suspicious about a man in his late 30s standing in front of him. While many customers were lined up to use the ATM, the man suddenly offered his turn to Officer Jeong. Upon hearing the man say, "The deposit is taking a long time, please go ahead," Officer Jeong immediately sensed a crime.

Officer Jeong asked sharp questions to the man, such as "Where and how much are you depositing?" and "Are you working under instructions via Telegram?"

The man, seeming flustered, hesitated and tried to avoid answering. Officer Jeong then revealed he was a police officer and checked the man's bag. Inside the bag were 17 million won in cash, divided into three envelopes.

Convinced it was voice phishing, Officer Jeong immediately reported to 112 and continued to question the man to prevent his escape, eventually detaining him and handing him over to the arriving police officers. The Iksan Police Station recovered the 17 million won and returned it to the victim, and the case is under investigation.

Officer Jeong had been on leave since October last year after being diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and was staying in his hometown, Iksan. He had a chemo port (a device for drug administration) inserted in his chest for chemotherapy, making it difficult to run or move freely. However, he did not ignore the suspicious situation and stepped up without hesitation to prevent a 17 million won loss.

Officer Jeong told Yonhap News, "Thanks to working in the intelligent crime investigation team for a year, I sensed something from the single phrase 'please go ahead.' I just did what a police officer should do. I am relieved that we succeeded in arresting him just before the transfer, allowing the victim to get their money back."