[The Police File] Even 'Main Numbers' Are Used for Voice Phishing... One Slip and You're Caught

Most crimes we encounter in daily life are one-time occurrences. Even if a creative crime succeeds, once its pattern is revealed, some level of prevention becomes possible. However, intelligent crimes targeting money are different. These crimes continuously imitate and evolve, possessing a life of their own like a virus, producing new victims. It is like 'voice phishing,' which has become so common that it is now part of everyday life.

Recently, the methods of voice phishing crimes have evolved in unimaginable ways. Last week, the Gangdong Police Station in Seoul disclosed the investigation process of a voice phishing crime and urged the public to be cautious. Voice phishing is already a common crime, so it is rare for the police to publicly share investigation details and separately warn the public. Then why did the Gangdong Police Station introduce this case through the media? Because the method was too 'innovative' to be considered a typical voice phishing crime.

The case is as follows. In the Gangdong area of Seoul, the largest-scale reconstruction of Dunchon Jugong Apartments is underway. A woman in her 70s, Ms. A, a member of the reconstruction association, recently received a call from the association office demanding an option fee and paid about 15 million won to the account number provided.

However, the person Ms. A spoke with was completely unrelated to the association. The voice phishing criminal pretended to be a telecommunications company employee and called the association office to have calls forwarded, then committed the crime. Fortunately, only Ms. A was confirmed as a victim, but since the crime targeted an unspecified number of people, the police made the case public to prevent further damage.

This is not the first time for call forwarding voice phishing crimes. In June last year, a voice phishing case occurred where calls to a food company CEO were forwarded, and the criminals intercepted payment for goods. Food company B pre-paid 30 million won for cooking oil to an account provided by someone claiming to be an employee of Samyang Corporation, a major food company. However, the employee who provided the account stopped answering calls, and the call center line was continuously busy.

Suspecting fraud, company B reported to the police, who then contacted Samyang Corporation's main office. The person claiming to be a Samyang employee said, "This is a normal transaction, and the cooking oil will be sent soon." The police advised company B to wait a bit longer, but the cooking oil never arrived, and contact was lost. The voice phishing group impersonated a telecommunications company and forwarded calls from Samyang's main number, answering calls on their behalf and committing goods fraud. Even the police were deceived by the call forwarding method. In 2021, a voice phishing group exploited the 'urea solution shortage' by pretending to sell urea solution through call forwarding scams.

Until last year's cases, the call forwarding method targeted specific companies or individuals. However, the notable point in the Dunchon Jugong case is that the target of the call forwarding method expanded to an unspecified number of association members. Now, ordinary people can fall victim to this method at any time.

In a situation where even main phone numbers cannot be trusted, how should we respond? The biggest problem is the lack of a control tower to tackle voice phishing. Currently, voice phishing response departments are scattered across various institutions. As the crime evolves, the entire financial sector, telecommunications companies, and investigative agencies must come together to form a joint front.

Voice phishing crimes cause 30,000 cases and 770 billion won in damages annually, making it a 'social disaster.' It is time to respond with the awareness that this is a serious social pandemic comparable to COVID-19.