Rapid Surge of Phishing and Smishing in Bangkok... Avoid Touching Unfamiliar Text Links and Chats

[While You Were Careless] Part 2. Increasing Online Crimes

It Took 1 Year to Arrest Phishing Organizations
5 Organizations, 511 Victims, 2.2 Billion KRW
Operating as Headquarters and Branches Overseas

International Judicial Cooperation Needed for Eradication
Individual Prevention Efforts Are Most Important

[Asia Economy Reporters Song Seung-yoon and Lee Jung-yoon] The Cyber Crime Investigation Unit of the Southern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency recently dismantled five phishing organizations involved in body-cam phishing and conditional meeting scams. It took the police a full year to apprehend these groups after investigations began in February last year. There were 511 victims, with total damages amounting to 2.2 billion KRW. The police arrested 45 individuals involved in the crimes, detaining 21 of them. Although investigative techniques have rapidly advanced to counter evolving crimes, the sophisticated and diverse methods used by criminals make eradication difficult in reality. Kim Seong-taek, head of the Cyber Investigation Unit at the Southern Gyeonggi Police Agency, said, "Due to COVID-19, so-called 'bangkok' (staying indoors) has increased, and communication through social networking services (SNS) has risen. Meetings between people are also happening online, so crimes targeting these aspects are expected to increase."

In fact, phishing crimes require more intensive investigation compared to general online fraud. This is because the masterminds who organize and manage these crimes are often located overseas, beyond the jurisdiction of Korean police. The police believe that these crimes are mainly committed from countries with poor law enforcement or lower operational costs, targeting developed countries. Within Korea, there are not only cash withdrawal agents who physically transport criminal funds but also domestic masterminds who manage these operations. Higher-level organizers often reside abroad, making tracking difficult. Since withdrawal agents often operate in small cell-like groups, significant effort is needed to apprehend the upper-level organizers. Sometimes, investigations require not only technical tracking but also reviewing CCTV footage and physically tracing the suspects' movements.

There is a growing call to strengthen international judicial cooperation to eradicate phishing crimes. Currently, crimes such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, and terrorism are subject to absolute universal jurisdiction worldwide. Similarly, body-cam phishing requires legislative efforts and active cooperation with foreign countries, akin to crimes like drug trafficking that embrace universal jurisdiction.

To minimize damage from cybercrime, individual preventive efforts are paramount. Kim Seong-taek advised, "When new crimes emerge, the police issue warnings through the media to inform the public about criminal methods, but fundamentally, individuals must be cautious. Do not open links sent by unknown people, and if you must open a link, verify suspicious parts by calling beforehand. Always maintain a skeptical attitude and confirm doubtful details." Kim Young-gap, professor in the Department of Information Security at Sejong University's College of Software Convergence, said, "As online activities increase, the number of targets for body-cam phishing is also rising. Since many cases involve consensual exposure of the body, it is important not to participate in such video chats from the outset."

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