What is the story of Deputy Station Master A at Naebang Station in Seoul Subway preventing a voice phishing scam?

Discovered Voice Phishing Attempt During Naebang Station Patrol on the 3rd; Quick Action by Employee Prevents Incident
Detected Just Before Transfer... "I Was Terrified Hearing My Daughter's Voice, But Thanks to the Station Employee's Help, I Was Able to Avoid the Crisis"

Thanks to the quick thinking of a station employee, a citizen's valuable property was protected from damage caused by a voice phishing crime.

Seoul Metro (President Baek Ho) announced on the 3rd that the quick wit of a Naebang Station employee prevented voice phishing damage.

On the afternoon of the 3rd at around 6:05 PM, Deputy Station Manager A, who was conducting a patrol inspection, witnessed store worker B speaking on the phone in a frightened voice in front of the Customer Safety Office. Sensing something was wrong, Deputy Manager A overheard words like "our daughter," "kidnapping," and "remittance," and immediately suspected voice phishing.

Due to AI-generated voice that sounded exactly like the daughter’s, the store worker was understandably terrified upon hearing that someone had been kidnapped.

Deputy Manager A signaled suspicion of voice phishing through eye contact and hand gestures and attempted to communicate with store worker B using notes. At the moment when B was about to transfer 800,000 won to the account number provided by the voice phishing criminal, fortunately, Deputy Manager A’s quick thinking prevented financial damage.

The voice phishing criminal demanded 10 million won and threatened that if the frightened A did not have the money immediately, they should send the entire account balance. Through note communication, they identified the store worker’s husband’s phone number, coordinated with him to confirm the child’s safety, stopped the transfer, and reported the incident to the police.

Store worker B, who was almost a victim of voice phishing, expressed gratitude, saying, "Hearing the daughter’s voice played by the voice phishing criminal, I was momentarily overwhelmed with fear and confusion, but thanks to the station employee’s help, I was able to avoid the crisis."

The Metro advises that if passengers suspect voice phishing while using the subway or receive suspicious calls or texts, they should report to 112 and visit the nearest Customer Safety Office for assistance.

Last May at Gangnam-gu Office Station, after receiving a customer complaint about a suspicious situation related to voice phishing at a locker, the station immediately reviewed CCTV footage, confirmed the suspicious activity, reported it to the police, helped recover approximately 15 million won in damages, and contributed to the arrest of two couriers.

Baek Ho, President of Seoul Metro, said, "I am grateful to the employees who quietly work on-site to protect citizens’ valuable property and actively provide assistance. Going forward, the Metro will continue to strengthen patrol inspections and monitoring using intelligent CCTV so that citizens can use the subway with peace of mind."