"I Am the Police Officer Here"... Police Officer Stops 6 Million Won Voice Phishing During Secondhand Transaction

A Woman in Her Seventies Withdraws Cash for Secondhand Deal
Off-Duty Police Officer's Instinct Prevents Voice Phishing

A story has emerged about a woman in her seventies who went out to meet someone for a secondhand transaction, withdrew a large sum of money under the instructions of a voice phishing organization, but was able to avoid becoming a victim thanks to the quick thinking of a real police officer she happened to meet at the transaction site.

A woman who avoided voice phishing damage by meeting a real police officer at a secondhand transaction location and the police officer. Seoul Police YouTube

On December 2, a video titled "Met a Police Officer During a Secondhand Transaction?! How 6 Million Won in Damages Was Avoided" was posted on the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's YouTube channel, "Seoul Police." According to the video, Officer A, a woman in her thirties who is affiliated with the Gangseo Police Station but is currently on leave, had arranged to meet Ms. B, a woman in her seventies, who was acting as a buyer on the secondhand trading platform "Danggeun," in a residential area of Guro-gu, Seoul last month. Officer A arrived at the appointed time, but Ms. B showed up 15 minutes late.

When asked why she was late, Ms. B explained, "I received a call from Gangseo Police Station saying that my ID had been stolen. I was told to withdraw money from the bank, so I did." Upon hearing that the instructions supposedly came from the police, Officer A immediately suspected voice phishing.

When Officer A asked, "Did the police tell you to withdraw money?" Ms. B replied, "They told me to withdraw the money and keep it with me. They said I must not tell anyone." Officer A then revealed her identity and warned, "The police would never give such instructions. It is highly likely to be voice phishing."

Officer A immediately contacted Gangseo Police Station from the scene to check whether the number that had called Ms. B's phone was an actual police work number, and it was confirmed that the number did not exist. Realizing she had been targeted by voice phishing, Ms. B followed Officer A's guidance, went to a nearby police precinct, and filed a report. If the report had been delayed, the amount Ms. B could have lost was estimated to be at least 6 million won.

Ms. B said, "The criminal persistently asked when I would arrive home," and added, "If I had met an ordinary person, I would have just completed the transaction and gone home, but thanks to meeting a police officer, I was not deceived." She continued, "I don't even want to imagine what could have happened if I had gone straight home that day," expressing her gratitude to Officer A.