‘Bugojang Smishing’ Affecting Even Police Officers... Damage Amount Increased Eightfold in 4 Years

The phishing method using text messages, known as 'smishing,' has infiltrated to the extent that even police officers have fallen victim. This is due to increasingly sophisticated tactics, such as recently emerging smishing scams impersonating obituary notices.

According to the police on the 14th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency posted a notice titled ‘Smishing Text Message Alert’ on the police internal network 'Polnet' on the 12th, urging caution regarding ▲text messages impersonating obituary notices and delivery services ▲text messages impersonating public institutions. This measure is interpreted as an effort to raise awareness within the police force as smishing scams impersonating obituary notices have been rampant nationwide recently.

Phishing is a compound word of 'Private data' and 'Fishing,' referring to a scam that deceives victims to steal personal information or money. Among these, smishing, a combination of SMS and phishing, is a method that induces victims to access a URL via text message, installs malicious code, extracts personal information, and causes harm.

In the past, smishing text messages were mainly disguised as delivery or gift notifications during holidays or vacation seasons. Recently, these have evolved into cases disguised as obituary notices. In the case of smishing text messages disguised as mobile obituary notices, clicking the URL in the message leads to no visible content. However, the moment it is clicked, there is a high possibility that invisible malicious code is implanted in the mobile phone. Through remote control, personal and financial information can be leaked, and fake obituary text messages can be sent to acquaintances registered in the phone’s contact list.

This smishing tactic has become so sophisticated that not only ordinary citizens but also police officers have fallen victim. Last week, a post titled ‘Phishing texts are rampant using obituary messages of fellow police officers’ parents’ was posted on Polnet. Comments on this post included statements such as ‘A retired senior sent an obituary message, and after confirming by phone for condolences, it was found to be phishing.’ Recently, a police officer working in Gangneung City, Gangwon Province, also received a smishing text message disguised as an obituary notice, and the same smishing message was randomly sent to other police officers’ mobile phones saved in the contact list of the officer who viewed it. Upon recognizing the situation, the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency sent a group text message to employees advising, ‘Do not click on address bars sent via text messages such as acquaintances’ obituary notices without verification.’

According to an analysis by the National Police Agency in September on ‘Smishing damage status over the past five years (2018?2022),’ the number of victims steadily occurred each year: 188 in 2018, 387 in 2019, 197 in 2020, 1,321 in 2021, and 807 in 2022. The amount of damage from smishing also totaled approximately 10.849 billion KRW, increasing from 235 million KRW in 2018 to 419 million KRW in 2019, 1.07 billion KRW in 2020, 4.985 billion KRW in 2021, and 4.13 billion KRW in 2022.

A police official stated, “Smishing, which has penetrated daily life, is becoming more sophisticated and causing ongoing damage,” adding, “It is necessary to verify with the person involved, and if a link is accidentally clicked, it is advisable to check for any installed unidentified apps, files, or malicious code and to reset the mobile phone.”