"What Kind of Envelope Is This?"... Identity of the Bystander Who Prevented a 140 Million Won Fraud in Broad Daylight

Sensed a Crime After Hearing "Received a Call from the Prosecution"
Quickly Ran and Apprehended the Suspect in the Act

On a day off, a police officer passing by happened to witness a voice phishing crime scene and prevented damages exceeding 100 million won. On the 11th, the National Police Agency's YouTube channel, Republic of Korea National Police Agency, uploaded a video of a police officer catching a voice phishing suspect in the act.

"What Kind of Envelope Is This?"... Identity of the Bystander Who Prevented a 140 Million Won Fraud in Broad Daylight

The incident occurred on January 23 in a street in Jung-gu, Seoul. In broad daylight, a young man briefly spoke with someone standing behind a signboard, received an envelope, and calmly left. A passerby found this suspicious and asked the person who handed over the envelope what was going on. This passerby was an off-duty police officer. The person who gave the envelope said, "I received a call from the prosecution and handed over the money." The envelope contained a staggering 138 million won. Upon hearing this, the police officer immediately suspected a voice phishing crime and quickly caught the man who went down to the subway station.

The police officer saw the man going down the escalator and took the stairs to get down faster, successfully apprehending him. Afterward, the officer requested support from a nearby police station and handed the man over. The man was arrested following a police investigation. Netizens who learned about the incident reacted with comments such as, "138 million won, it would have been a disaster if it weren't for the real police officer," "That officer deserves a promotion," and "It was truly divine intervention, not just ancestors."

Meanwhile, according to the National Police Agency's statistics over the past three years, the total damage amount from voice phishing reached 1.5129 trillion won. It decreased from 774.4 billion won in 2021 to 542 billion won in 2022, and 196.5 billion won in 2023. However, the average damage per person was 17.08 million won, which is a 28% increase compared to four years ago. This is attributed to a sharper decline in the number of victims than the total damage amount, reflecting ongoing preventive efforts and system improvements related to voice phishing by the government, financial companies, and telecommunications firms.

Looking at the trend of damage amounts by age group, the proportion of voice phishing damage amounts for people in their 50s decreased every year until 2023, but the proportion of damage amounts for those aged 20 and under increased significantly. The damage amounts for those aged 20 and under were 5.2 billion KRW in 2021, 9.2 billion KRW in 2022, and 23.1 billion KRW in 2023, with proportions of 3.1%, 6.4%, and 12% of the total damage amount, respectively, approximately doubling each year. The most common types of damage methods were loan impersonation, institution impersonation, and acquaintance impersonation. Asia Economy

Looking at the damage amount trends by age group, the proportion of voice phishing damage among people in their 50s decreased annually until 2023, while the proportion among those aged 20 and under increased significantly. The damage amounts for those 20 and under were 5.2 billion won in 2021, 9.2 billion won in 2022, and 23.1 billion won in 2023, with their share of total damage rising approximately twofold each year at 3.1%, 6.4%, and 12%, respectively. The most common types of scams were loan fraud, impersonation of institutions, and impersonation of acquaintances.

Among the age groups with the largest damage shares, those in their 50s and those aged 60 and above, the proportions generally decreased. The damage share for people in their 50s steadily declined from 39.3% in 2021 to 29% in 2023, and for those 60 and older, it dropped by 10.3 percentage points to 36.4% in 2023 compared to the previous year. Last year, while the number of voice phishing cases involving impersonation of institutions decreased compared to the previous year, cases involving loan fraud increased, resulting in an overall rise in total voice phishing cases year-on-year.

According to the National Police Agency's data, the total number of loan fraud voice phishing cases increased by 61% compared to the previous year. In particular, cases among those aged 20 and under and those in their 30s rose by 109% and 111%, respectively, indicating that loan fraud voice phishing has recently been targeting younger age groups who are economically vulnerable.