Phishing Damages Near 800 Billion Won This Year, All-Time High... Police Launch Special Crackdown

Special Crackdown for Five Months Until January Next Year
Reporting Reward Increased Up to 500 Million Won

The police announced on August 31 that they will launch a large-scale special crackdown on phishing crimes for five months, from September 1, 2025, to January 31, 2026.

According to the police, from January to July this year, there were 16,561 cases of phishing crimes such as voice phishing and smishing, with damages totaling 799.2 billion won. These figures represent increases of 14% and 95%, respectively, compared to the same period last year.

The National Police Agency explained that this is the highest amount of damages ever recorded in a seven-month period. It is also not much different from the total amount of phishing damages for the entire previous year, which was 952.5 billion won.

Other types of phishing crimes, such as investment leading rooms (3,939 cases, 343.8 billion won in damages), romance scams (1,163 cases, 70.5 billion won in damages), and no-show scams (2,892 cases, 41.4 billion won in damages), are also at a serious level.

The National Police Agency stated, "We will focus all investigative capabilities over the next five months," and announced strict crackdowns not only on domestic and international phishing crime organizations, but also on money laundering, burner phones, and fake bank accounts.

This crackdown is part of the comprehensive government-wide plan to eradicate phishing, which was announced on August 28. The police will increase dedicated investigative personnel by about 400 nationwide and establish special investigation teams for phishing crimes in Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, Gyeonggi Nambu, and Chungnam police agencies.

Park Sungju, Commissioner of the National Office of Investigation at the National Police Agency, stated, "We will mobilize all of the police's investigative capabilities and conduct a strong crackdown to eradicate phishing crimes," and added, "As the maximum reward for reporting was significantly raised to up to 500 million won in July this year, we urge courageous reports and tips."