"Never Click"…1 Billion Won 'Bodycam Phishing' Alert Overnight

Annual Increase in Incidents... Evolving Persuasion Tactics
1 Billion Won Damage Over 30 Times in One Day

The number of cases where open chat rooms entered out of curiosity turn out to be 'bodycam phishing' is increasing. The police have urged caution, warning never to click on links sent by strangers.

Reports of 'Mokcam Phishing' are increasing every year, so caution is necessary.
[Photo by Yonhap News TV]

According to the National Police Agency, the number of bodycam phishing incidents has been rising every year. The number of victims was 1,824 in 2019, 2,583 in 2020, and 3,026 in 2021. Last year's statistics have not yet been officially compiled. Given the nature of bodycam phishing crimes, many victims likely do not report the incidents to hide the damage, so the actual number of cases is expected to be higher.

For example, in mid-April, Mr. A, a man in his 50s living in Gyeonggi-do, suffered harm after clicking the enter button out of curiosity on a chat room with a provocative title that appeared to have been created by a woman.

The chat room creator engaged in sexual conversations with Mr. A in a private chat room with only the two of them and then suggested exchanging videos of their bodies. When Mr. A sent his video, the creator sent a link, saying that to view her video, he needed to click the link and install a file. After Mr. A installed the file, all contacts saved on his phone were transferred to the other party. This is a typical 'bodycam phishing' method.

The creator, having hacked Mr. A's contacts, changed tactics and invited him to a new open chat room. The creator threatened to distribute Mr. A's body videos to his acquaintances unless he sent money to a designated account. After Mr. A sent money, the perpetrator demanded a larger amount. Mr. A was able to escape the threats only after transferring about 100 million won over 30 times in one day.

Although the videos were not distributed, Mr. A, having lost a large sum of money, reported the incident to the police the next day.

Bodycam phishing is difficult to catch because multiple people operate in a cell-like organization, using fake bank accounts and repeatedly laundering money. The police warned that phishing groups are increasingly sophisticated in persuading victims to install malicious programs and urged the public to be cautious.