[Bitcoin Now] Lost 190 Million Won in Coins to Prosecutor Impersonator... Up 6.6 Times in One Year

New Voice Phishing Tactics Emerge
Virtual Assets Replace Cash as Criminals Evolve
Cases Surge More Than Sixfold in One Year

There has been a significant increase in cases where voice phishing organizations steal virtual assets instead of cash.

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Asia Economy DB.

According to data submitted to Assemblyman Song Seokjun of the People Power Party by the National Police Agency on August 28, there were 420 cases from January to July this year in which voice phishing organizations stole virtual assets from victims.

This figure is approximately 6.6 times higher than the 64 cases reported during the same period last year. In 2024, there were a total of 130 cases of crimes involving the theft of virtual assets, but this number was already surpassed by July of this year.

Specific cases of damage have also been released. In April, a man in his 20s, referred to as Mr. A, received a phone call from someone impersonating a prosecutor from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, claiming that a bank account under his name had been flagged as a fraudulent account and that his assets needed to be inspected. The impersonator instructed Mr. A to purchase Tether coins (a dollar-based stablecoin) worth 190 million won and send them to a wallet address provided by the scammer. The coins ultimately disappeared.

In another case, a woman in her 60s, referred to as Ms. B, was contacted in October last year by someone pretending to be a card delivery agent. She was then sequentially connected to a card company customer center, the Financial Supervisory Service, and a prosecutor, all of whom claimed that a fraudulent account under her name had been detected and that her assets needed to be inspected. She was persuaded to purchase Bitcoin worth 190 million won and transfer it to a wallet address provided by the scammer. The Bitcoin also disappeared.

Assemblyman Song also noted that cases are increasing in which cash is stolen through methods such as bank transfers or face-to-face fraud, after which intermediaries, remittance agents, and exchangers launder the funds into virtual assets.

Assemblyman Song stated, "Crimes are rapidly evolving into new methods that utilize virtual assets in voice phishing schemes that previously relied on bank transfers." He emphasized the need for investigative and financial authorities to cooperate in strengthening systems to prevent such crimes and to quickly establish institutional safeguards.