A 20-Year-Old Prevents Crime After Hearing a Distressed Phone Call at a Cafe and Reporting It
A man in his 20s who overheard a phone conversation at a cafe happened to prevent a phone financial scam (voice phishing) from occurring.
On the 23rd, the Seongnam Sujeong Police Station in Gyeonggi Province shared the story of Mr. A, a man in his 20s who caught a voice phishing criminal after hearing suspicious phone call content.
The incident took place around 5 p.m. on the 14th of last month at a cafe in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province. Mr. A, who was sitting at a table, witnessed Mr. B at a nearby table anxiously talking on the phone, responding with "I have never viewed illegal webtoons."
Continuing to listen to the call, Mr. A sensed that Mr. B was being targeted by voice phishing and immediately went outside the cafe to report it to 112. Upon receiving the report, the police arrived and confirmed that Mr. B had already withdrawn 70 million won in 10,000 won bills and was carrying it in a paper box.
The person threatening Mr. B was a member of a voice phishing organization. Mr. B was in the process of installing a remote control application (app) on his phone as instructed by the organization, so if the report had been delayed even slightly, it could have resulted in significant damage.
Mr. B was waiting at the cafe before handing over the cash to the organization member, who was impersonating a "bank employee" and contacting Mr. B. The organization member urged Mr. B to install the remote control app, saying, "There is something wrong with the bank where you just withdrew the cash, and your phone has been hacked."
Mr. B had withdrawn 10,000 won bills and was carrying approximately 70 million won in cash. [Image source=Seongnam Sujeong Police Station]
During this process, he asked Mr. B, "Have you ever viewed illegal webtoons?" and it was this exchange that Mr. A happened to overhear.
Regarding the situation, Mr. A said, "I kept hearing the call, but it wasn’t because I wanted to listen. When I heard him say he never viewed illegal webtoons, it seemed strange, and he kept reciting numbers which looked like an account number."
He added, "If I was mistaken, I would apologize, but if it really was voice phishing, it could have caused irreversible damage. I am also a job seeker, so even 10,000 to 20,000 won is precious to me, so I’m glad I was able to prevent the damage."
The police presented Mr. A with a certificate of appreciation and a reward, and it is known that Mr. B also gave Mr. A a small token of gratitude.
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