"Pay Up and We'll Erase Your Prostitution Record"... How the New Voice Phishing Scam Lures Victims

"Random Calls... Just Ignore and Hang Up"
Users Warn, "Sending Money Will Lead to Bigger Problems"

Voice phishing image. Photo by The Asia Business Daily Database

A new type of voice phishing scam is on the rise, in which scammers demand money by threatening to expose individuals for having visited illegal prostitution establishments. Rather than having detailed information about each individual, the scammers call random men, and if the person has actually visited such an establishment, fear may prompt them to pay up.

On January 21, a post titled "My friend went to a Swedish massage parlor" was uploaded to an online community. "Swedish" in this context refers to massage parlors that engage in illegal sexual activities.

The author wrote, "My friend received a call from a Swedish massage parlor he had visited in the past," and added, "They said that the police had cracked down on the business and that they needed to hand over their records, but if my friend paid part of the fine, they would erase the record with his name on it."

The author explained that the friend who received the call was extremely anxious about the possibility of his spouse finding out, as he has a family. The author wrote, "Since he has a child, he is more worried about his wife finding out than about a police investigation. That's why you shouldn't live a life committing crimes. It seems the callers approached him just to extort money. I told my friend it sounded like a scam and to just block the number, but it still left an uneasy feeling."

A user who identified himself as the owner of a Swedish massage parlor commented, "Even owners like me get these calls," and advised that the scammers do not actually know who visited the establishments-they simply call random numbers. He recommended ignoring and hanging up on such calls.

Another user warned, "The moment you send money, the threats will escalate," and added, "Does it make sense for the police to call individuals and demand money if there was a crackdown? You should always hang up and block the number."