Police Agency Releases Footage of Voice Phishing Suspect Arrest
Chungju Sangdang Police Station Officer Jeong Sewon
Detected Suspicious Behavior While Visiting Bank During Illness Treatment
A police officer who was on leave due to colon cancer and undergoing treatment happened to assist in the arrest of a voice phishing suspect at a bank he visited by chance.
On the 29th, the official YouTube channel of the National Police Agency released CCTV footage from a bank in Iksan, Jeonbuk, showing the arrest of a voice phishing suspect in March.
According to the CCTV footage, a man wearing a gray top was pacing in front of an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) holding a mobile phone. The man kept giving way to other customers and looked around anxiously.
At that moment, Police Officer Jeong Sewon from the Chungbuk Cheongju Sangdang Police Station entered the bank to conduct his business. The man also gave way to Officer Jeong. Having previously worked in the Intelligent Crime Investigation Team investigating voice phishing, Officer Jeong sensed something suspicious when the man said, "The deposit is taking a long time, so you go first."
Officer Jeong showed his police ID, revealing his identity as a police officer, as the man appeared to hurriedly hide his phone. He then asked questions such as, "Where and how much are you depositing?" and "Did you receive instructions via Telegram?" The man continued to avoid answering and eventually handed his phone to Officer Jeong, saying, "I don't know much, so try talking to the person in charge." The person on the other end of the call also evaded Officer Jeong's questions and abruptly ended the call.
Convinced that it was a voice phishing crime, Officer Jeong immediately called 112 to report it. Until the police arrived at the scene, he kept talking to the man to mentally pressure him and prevent him from fleeing. The man, who was a voice phishing cash collector, was caught red-handed by the police who arrived shortly after. The police recovered 17 million won from the man and returned it to the victims, and the case is under investigation.
At the time of the incident, Officer Jeong had been diagnosed with colon cancer and was on leave, having returned to his hometown of Iksan. Despite having a drug administration device implanted in his chest, which made it difficult to run or move freely, Officer Jeong calmly handled the situation.
Officer Jeong said, "I just did what any police officer should do," and added, "I am relieved that we succeeded in arresting the suspect just before the transfer, allowing the victims to get their money back."
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