Cyber Fraud Damages Soar... Arrest Rate Remains Stagnant

Assemblyman Han Byungdo:
"Comprehensive Review of Systems Needed to Enhance Response Capabilities"

The amount of damage caused by cyber fraud, including online secondhand transaction scams, has surged significantly.

According to data submitted by Assemblyman Han Byungdo of the Democratic Party of Korea from the National Police Agency on September 14, 2024, there were 208,920 cases of cyber fraud crimes, with total damages amounting to 2.4062 trillion won. Compared to 167,688 cases in 2023, this represents an increase of about 24.6%. The amount of damage also soared by approximately 88.1% from 1.8111 trillion won in 2023. The number of victims rose by about 31.2%, from 212,960 in 2023 to 279,416 last year.

Over the past four years, from 2021 to last year, the number of cases has shown a sharp upward trend: 141,154 cases in 2021, 155,715 in 2022, 167,688 in 2023, and 208,920 in 2024. During the same period, the number of victims also surged from 151,859 to 279,416, and the total amount of damages increased from 1.1719 trillion won to 3.4062 trillion won.

Already, as of June this year, there have been 114,663 cases of cyber fraud. If this trend continues, the total number of cases this year is expected to surpass last year's figure.

However, the cyber fraud arrest rate has been on the decline: 72.2% (101,950 cases) in 2021, 70.2% (109,250 cases) in 2022, 58.0% (97,243 cases) in 2023, and 53.8% (112,423 cases) in 2024. While fraud crimes are increasingly shifting from offline to online and becoming more sophisticated and intelligent, there are concerns that police investigative capabilities have reached their limits.

Assemblyman Han stated, "Cyber fraud is increasing sharply every year, but I am concerned that the investigative capabilities of the National Police Agency may be stagnating," and urged, "The National Police Agency should comprehensively review related personnel, budgets, policies, and systems to enhance its ability to respond to cyber fraud."

Meanwhile, by region last year, the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency recorded the highest number of cases with 40,735, followed by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (28,358 cases), Busan Metropolitan Police Agency (15,305 cases), Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency (15,055 cases), and Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency (14,372 cases).