Naver Signs MOU with Korean National Police Agency to Prevent Voice Phishing and Investment Chatroom Scams

Police crime data fed into spam-filtering AI
Usage of "fraudulent" phone numbers restricted on Naver
Malicious apps detected and flagged in Naver services

Naver announced on the 24th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korean National Police Agency for the "Prevention and Eradication of Telecommunication Financial Fraud."

Through this MOU, Naver and the Police Agency agreed to jointly respond to the spread of various phishing crimes, such as voice phishing and investment recommendation chat rooms, across a wide range of internet platforms.

At the Naver?National Police Agency signing ceremony for "Prevention and Eradication of Telecommunications Financial Fraud" held on the 24th in the meeting room of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Integrated Response Team, Yu Bongseok, Naver Chief Revenue Officer (CRO, left), and Shin Hyoseop, head of the National Police Agency's Integrated Response Team for Telecommunications Financial Fraud, posed for a commemorative photo. Photo provided by Naver

The MOU signing ceremony, held on the same day in the meeting room of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Integrated Response Unit, was attended by Yoo Bongseok, Chief Risk Officer (CRO) of Naver, Shin Hyoseop, head of the Police Agency's Integrated Response Unit for Telecommunication Financial Fraud, and other officials from both organizations.

To this end, Naver will operate a "triple-layer prevention system" that leverages its own artificial intelligence (AI) and security technologies to suppress attempted crimes on its platforms. First, it will cooperate in crime prevention by training spam-filtering AI on services such as Band with the latest crime data, including deceptive phrases and keywords impersonating institutions and public figures accumulated by the Police Agency in the course of investigations. When a post suspected of being related to crime is created on the platform, Naver will display warning pop-ups in accordance with its internal standards or take preemptive measures to prevent further damage.

In addition, Naver will implement a fast-track enforcement mechanism that detects criminals' attempts to access the platform and swiftly restricts the use of accounts being exploited for crime. When the Police Agency shares in real time with Naver a list of "fraudulent phone numbers" that have been urgently blocked by telecom operators based on 112 emergency calls and simple reports, Naver will impose usage restrictions and other measures on users who sign up and operate accounts with those numbers, thereby preventing additional damage.

Furthermore, the two sides agreed to build an automatic detection system to fundamentally block the execution of malicious apps on user devices. When the Police Agency provides information on the latest malicious apps used in institution-impersonation voice phishing and similar schemes, Naver will integrate this data into its various services, including the Naver app, Naver Pay, and the Whale browser. If users run the relevant apps, a security module will safely detect the presence of malicious apps on the device, immediately issue a warning, and prompt users to delete them.

Shin Hyoseop, head of the Police Agency's Integrated Response Unit for Telecommunication Financial Fraud, said, "At a time when voice phishing and investment recommendation chat room scams are spreading through online platforms, this MOU with Naver will serve as a practical and symbolic turning point that dramatically raises the barrier to entry for such crimes," adding, "We will further strengthen our public safety partnership with private companies to protect the valuable assets of the people."

Naver CRO Yoo Bongseok said, "Naver has been making efforts on multiple fronts to provide a safe internet environment, including improving pattern-detection tools that identify attempts to lure users to external phishing sites," and added, "Going forward, by working with the Police Agency, we plan to establish a faster and more sophisticated response system and continuously enhance our capabilities to protect users."