"Year-end Performance Advance Booking Available" Smishing Rampant
Fake Sites Linked When Clicking Links
"Be Especially Careful Not to Click"
Suspicious scam text messages urging people to pre-book tickets for trot singer Lim Young-woong's (33) year-end concert have been sent out, prompting a need for caution.
On the 14th, posts appeared on online communities reporting that they received smishing texts related to Lim Young-woong concert ticket reservations. Smishing is a scam technique that uses text messages to request personal information, financial transaction details, or to transfer money. One netizen warned, "People who are not familiar might think this is real and click the link, so please be careful," attaching an image of the message.
A fake message stating "You can pre-book Lim Young-woong's year-end concert" has been sent, raising concerns about smishing damage. Online community
The message begins with a greeting saying, "We are informing you that the recital concert to wrap up the year 2024 with Lim Young-woong and start the new year 2025 with a smile is just around the corner," and explains that "tickets can be reserved immediately through pre-booking." It then provides typical ticket reservation details such as the performance name, date and time, venue, and seating sections. At the end of the message, it states, "Detailed seating information can be obtained through ticket reservation," followed by a link of unclear origin.
Clicking the link leads to a website featuring a video of Lim Young-woong's performance at the top of the main screen. At the bottom, there are reservation buttons for year-end concerts of Lim Young-woong as well as several other famous singers. However, Lim Young-woong's year-end concert ticket sales are scheduled to start at 8 p.m. on the 20th and have not yet begun. Middle-aged and older people who are not familiar with mobile environments are likely to mistake this for the official website. In response, Lim Young-woong's fandom posted a notice on their fan cafe stating, "Recently, pre-booking text messages for concert tickets have been sent out," and "These messages were not sent by the concert organizers. Clicking the attached link exposes you to voice phishing, so please be especially careful not to click it."
Meanwhile, due to the intense ticket reservation battles for Lim Young-woong's performances, ticket scalping has been rampant. In January, a man in his 30s, Mr. A, who scammed fans out of about 200 million won by selling Lim Young-woong concert tickets, was prosecuted on fraud charges and sentenced to six years in prison.
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