Taxi Driver Couple's Ingenuity... Prevented Multi-Billion Won Voice Phishing Scam

A taxi driver couple reported a voice phishing collector who consecutively boarded their taxi to the police, preventing a crime involving billions of won in damages.

On the 15th, the Gangdong Police Station in Seoul announced that they plan to send a man in his 60s to prosecution without detention on charges of violating the Special Act on the Prevention of Telecommunications Financial Fraud and Refund of Damages.

According to the police, around 2 p.m. on the 19th of last month, taxi driver Mr. A accepted a taxi call in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, and picked up a passenger. His husband, who also works as a taxi driver, was watching his wife's vehicle nearby and realized that this passenger was the same person he had dropped off five minutes earlier. The husband then informed his wife that the passenger seemed "suspicious."

The wife also became suspicious of the passenger when, during the ride, the destination was suddenly changed from Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi-do to the Gangdong District of Seoul, among other unusual behaviors, leading her to suspect the passenger might be involved in voice phishing. She asked her husband to report to 112 (emergency number). While heading to the destination, the wife shared the location and destination with the responding police officers, and eventually, the police arrested the passenger in Gangdong District, Seoul.

Police investigations revealed that this passenger was a collector for a voice phishing organization. He was a member of a group impersonating a government agency and was caught immediately after receiving checks worth approximately 380 million won from a victim.

The police awarded the taxi driver couple a commendation for meritorious service on the 14th and plan to continue investigating and tracking down members of the voice phishing organization.

Kim Byung-ju, chief of the Gangdong Police Station in Seoul, said, "Thanks to the couple's cooperation, we were able to apprehend the voice phishing criminal and prevent a large-scale financial loss. We sincerely appreciate their courage in risking danger and actively reporting to 112."