"This Coin Is About To Be Listed"...Alert Issued Over New Scam Methods

Voice Phishing Down 25 Percent Since Launch of Integrated Response Unit

"This coin is really about to be listed soon! If you invest now, you can make a big profit."

"I am only telling this to the people in this chat room right now. Sign up on the site and put in your investment funds."

The police have called for particular caution regarding new types of scam crimes that have recently caused severe damage ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays. While traditional voice phishing crimes are gradually decreasing, new types of crimes such as investment chatroom scams, proxy purchase (no-show) scams, and romance scams that exploit romantic feelings are increasing the damage.

The National Police Agency's Integrated Response Unit for Telecommunications Financial Fraud will operate the special number "1394" as the unified reporting hotline to improve public access to reporting and counseling for telecommunications financial fraud victims. The number 1394 signifies "people who save daily life" (13 = daily life, 9 = save, 4 = people). Image generated by ChatGPT.

The National Police Agency's Integrated Response Unit for Telecommunications Financial Fraud announced on February 11 that, in cooperation with telecommunications companies during the Lunar New Year holidays, it will issue alerts to the entire public about major new scam crimes. As part of this effort, it will run a nationwide action campaign titled "Hang Up Now" via TBN Traffic Broadcasting radio, urging people to immediately end suspicious phone calls or messenger conversations. The campaign is based on the idea that the key to blocking phishing crimes is to boldly cut off contact from criminals at an early stage.

Since its launch in September last year, the Integrated Response Unit has focused on blocking the tools used mainly in voice phishing crimes, such as burner phones, malicious apps, and phishing websites. The number of blocked phone numbers used for crimes increased by 484%, and the blocking of malicious apps also rose by 317%. As a result, voice phishing crimes in the fourth quarter of last year decreased by more than 25% compared to the same period a year earlier.

The problem lies with the new scams. The types are diverse, including investment chatroom scams, proxy purchase (no-show) scams, team-mission side-job scams, and romance scams. A representative example, the investment chatroom scam, lures victims by showing manipulated rates of return using pre-created fake exchange websites or apps. Because the method involves inducing investment through the fake site and then siphoning off the funds, people must be careful not to access links via internet addresses (URLs) sent by the phishers.

No-show scams involve impersonating public institutions or companies and deceiving restaurants into believing that they will host a group dinner there, then asking them to purchase expensive liquor or other goods in advance from a specific vendor. In some cases, scammers pretend to place large orders with construction companies. The "specific vendor" that the phishers name for the proxy purchase receives the payment for the goods from the victim and then disappears. According to the police, any proxy purchase request that designates a particular vendor should be regarded as a scam.

In addition, during the holiday period, scam crimes frequently occur in which personal information and money are stolen through messages that pretend to be about checking traffic fines, tracking parcel deliveries, or notifying people of family events. The police urged the public not to click on internet addresses or phone numbers of unclear origin, and, when conducting online (secondhand) transactions, to check whether any scam damage has occurred by using the "Internet Scam Suspicion Phone/Account Number Inquiry Service" provided on the National Police Agency website.

Shin Hyo-seop, head of the National Police Agency's Integrated Response Unit for Telecommunications Financial Fraud, stressed, "We will do our utmost not only to eradicate traditional voice phishing scams that impersonate public institutions, but also to eliminate new scam crimes," adding, "If there are any suspected cases of damage around you, please contact the Integrated Response Unit (1394, without an area code) so that victims can receive counseling."