Money Bundles in Subway Unmanned Lockers? ... Station Staff's Sharp Eye Prevented Voice Phishing

Incident at Gangnam-gu Office Station on Seoul Subway Line 7
Civil Reports and Additional Detections... 15 Million Won Recovered

Two voice phishing couriers were caught on the same day and at the same location thanks to the keen observation of employees at Gangnam-gu Office Station on Seoul Subway Line 7.

Subway locker. [Image source=Seoul City]

On the 12th, Seoul Metro reported that on the 28th of last month, a deputy station manager belonging to the corporation, who was patrolling Gangnam-gu Office Station, received a complaint from a passenger stating, "I witnessed a suspicious situation related to voice phishing at the locker." Station staff immediately checked the CCTV together with the deputy station manager and confirmed someone placing a large amount of cash into a locker, then promptly reported it to the police.

While continuing to monitor the lockers via CCTV, station employee A additionally witnessed someone placing another large bundle of cash into a different locker. As a result, two voice phishing couriers were caught by the police at the same place on the same day. The initial amount of money discovered through the passenger’s report was 10 million won, and an additional 5 million won was found in the other locker. All of the money was recovered.

The corporation urged that if passengers suspect voice phishing damage while using the subway or receive suspicious calls or messages directly related to voice phishing, they should report it to 112 and visit the nearest Customer Safety Office for assistance. Baekho, President of Seoul Metro, emphasized, "We will do our best to prevent voice phishing damage by patrolling stations and strengthening CCTV monitoring so that passengers can use the subway with peace of mind."

Cases where the police were dispatched due to suspected voice phishing crimes at subway stations continue to occur steadily. In July 2021, at Bangbae Station on Line 2, there was a case where a passenger’s report prevented an elderly person from falling victim to voice phishing by trying to put cash into a locker.