FSS Advises Caution on Disaster Relief Prepaid Card Loss or Theft... Register Information Immediately Upon Receipt

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyo-jin] On the 27th, the Financial Supervisory Service urged special caution regarding the loss and theft of anonymous prepaid cards for emergency disaster relief funds related to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) provided by the government or local governments.

The emergency disaster relief funds are provided through methods such as credit cards or anonymous prepaid cards. Among these, anonymous prepaid cards, due to their anonymous nature, may become unusable for the remaining balance if lost or stolen.

The Financial Supervisory Service also recommended registering the recipient's information immediately upon receiving the anonymous prepaid card. By registering the recipient's information on the card company's website, reissuance is possible even if the card is lost or stolen during use, and the remaining balance can be used within the unused amount.

When registering holder information, services such as mobile phone balance notification service and card loss registration through the card company's ARS are also available.

Upon receiving an anonymous prepaid card, one should check the usage period and restricted business sectors. For example, support funds provided by Seoul City and Gyeonggi Province can be used at credit card affiliated stores within the city and province but cannot be used at entertainment establishments, gambling businesses, department stores, etc.

Attention should also be paid to voice phishing and smishing related to COVID-19 disaster relief funds. If you are asked for personal information or account numbers over the phone, or encouraged to apply for low-interest loans related to COVID-19 or install smartphone applications, suspect voice phishing. If you receive text messages on your mobile phone containing internet addresses related to emergency disaster relief fund applications or gift certificate arrivals, suspect smishing, the Financial Supervisory Service explained.

The Financial Supervisory Service said, "Immediately delete messages from unknown sources and refrain from clicking on suspicious internet addresses."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.