KT Temporarily Reduces Gift Certificate Payment Limit After Small Payment Fraud in Gwangmyeong and Geumcheon

KT announced that it will temporarily reduce the payment limit for gift certificate sales in response to a series of unauthorized small payment incidents that occurred in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, and Geumcheon District, Seoul.

On September 6, KT stated in a customer notice on its website that it is taking these measures following recent cases where some users in the Gwangmyeong and Geumcheon areas experienced unauthorized small payments made through their mobile phones without their consent.

KT, in consultation with mobile payment gateway providers, has temporarily lowered the payment limit for gift certificate sales and strengthened detection of abnormal payment attempts to prevent further incidents.

Additionally, in regions where unauthorized payments occurred, KT will identify subscribers who used small payment services during a certain period and whose transactions appear suspicious, contact them individually, and provide support and counseling.

KT added, "We sincerely apologize for causing concern to our customers," and continued, "We will actively cooperate with investigative authorities to swiftly determine the cause, establish measures to prevent recurrence, and do our utmost to minimize damage."

The Cyber Investigation Unit of the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency is conducting a consolidated investigation into unauthorized small payment cases that occurred in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, and Geumcheon District, Seoul.

Victims of the Gwangmyeong case reported to the police that between August 27 and 31, mainly during early morning hours, hundreds of thousands of won were withdrawn from their mobile phones under the pretense of purchasing mobile gift certificates or recharging transportation cards. As for the Geumcheon case, 14 reports had been filed as of September 5.

While the victims all reside in Soha-dong and Haan-dong, Gwangmyeong, and Geumcheon District, Seoul, the mobile phones affected were activated at different retail stores, and there was no evidence of malicious app installation or smishing link clicks. As a result, investigative and security authorities are considering multiple possibilities in their ongoing investigation.