Voice Phishing to Be Blocked 24/7... Government Unveils Strongest-Ever Measures

Government-wide Voice Phishing Response Task Force Announces Comprehensive Plan

From now on, phone numbers used in voice phishing crimes will be urgently blocked within 10 minutes of a report being received. Mobile carriers that allow multiple illegal activations of mobile phones will face strong sanctions, including license revocation or suspension of business. Starting in mid-September, the government will operate a Voice Phishing Integrated Response Team that will be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Yoon Changryul, Minister for Government Policy Coordination, is announcing a comprehensive plan to eradicate voice phishing on the 28th at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Representatives from related ministries including the Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Justice, Financial Services Commission, Prosecutor's Office, National Police Agency, Financial Supervisory Service, and Personal Information Protection Commission attended the announcement. 2025.8.28 Photo by Jo Yongjun

Yoon Changryul, Minister for Government Policy Coordination, held a meeting of the "Government-wide Voice Phishing Response Task Force (TF)" at the Government Complex Seoul on the morning of August 28 and announced the finalized comprehensive plan to eradicate voice phishing.

Voice phishing crimes had been on the decline since 2021, but increased again last year. In particular, this year, the amount of damages has nearly doubled compared to the same period last year. This is due to the constant emergence of new and sophisticated methods designed to evade investigation.

In response, the government has developed this plan with a focus on "proactive eradication" rather than the previous reactive approach. Starting next month, the Voice Phishing Integrated Response Team, led by the National Police Agency, will be staffed by 137 personnel. This is more than three times the number of staff at the previous Integrated Reporting and Response Center (43 people), and the team will be headed by a senior police official. In addition to the National Police Agency, staff seconded from related agencies such as the Financial Services Commission, Ministry of Science and ICT, Korea Communications Commission, and Financial Supervisory Service will be significantly increased.

The previous Integrated Reporting and Response Center operated only during weekday business hours, but the reorganized Integrated Response Team will operate on a 24/7 basis throughout the year. This will enable a real-time response system that quickly connects victim counseling, analysis, blocking, and investigation of voice phishing cases. In particular, whereas it previously took two to three days to block illegal phone numbers, they will now be urgently blocked within 10 minutes. Crime information collected and analyzed by the Integrated Response Team will be immediately forwarded to dedicated investigative units, which will launch nationwide joint investigations. Bank accounts used in crimes will also be rapidly frozen through financial institutions.

This comprehensive plan places the highest priority on "prevention." The government will establish a three-tier blocking system involving message service providers, mobile carriers, and individual devices. First, businesses that send mass messages will be required to use a "malicious message detection and blocking system" to prevent the transmission of malicious messages to large numbers of people. For mobile carriers, if the system fails to filter or if an individual sends a malicious message, access to URLs in those messages will be blocked, and spoofed phone numbers will be detected and blocked. In cooperation with smartphone manufacturers, an automatic prevention feature for the installation of malicious apps will be introduced on individual devices.

If a mobile carrier neglects its management responsibilities and allows multiple illegal activations of mobile phones, the government will impose strong sanctions such as license revocation or business suspension. However, related legislation must be enacted to impose such sanctions. For financial institutions, the government will also push for legislation to require them to compensate victims for some or all of the damages. Kwon Daeyoung, Vice Chairman of the Financial Services Commission, stated, "It is not right for financial institutions to ignore victims after damages occur," and added, "We will strike a balance between the acceptability for financial institutions and concerns about moral hazard among the public to reach a social consensus."

Minister Yoon emphasized, "The government is firmly determined to eradicate voice phishing through this plan," and added, "We will do our utmost to protect the property and safety of the public." He also stressed, "Most important of all is the vigilance and cooperation of the public," and urged, "If you receive suspicious calls or messages, do not respond and report them immediately."