6 Billion Won Damage Per Day in Seoul Alone... Seoul Police Focus on Combating 'Voice Phishing'

Voice Phishing Losses Increase Annually
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Conducts Systematic and Comprehensive Investigations
Promotes External Cooperation for Prevention

Private relay device seized by the police from a voice phishing organization. The private relay device is used to convert internet phone numbers into domestic mobile phone numbers.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 21st that it has selected the eradication of voice phishing as a key task for this year and is implementing a 'Comprehensive Plan for Intensive Response to Voice Phishing,' which includes systematic investigations and external cooperation to reduce crime damage.

According to the police, the amount of damage caused by voice phishing has steadily increased every year. In Seoul alone, it rose from 93.7 billion KRW in 2017 to 141.3 billion KRW in 2018, 208.2 billion KRW in 2019, and 222.8 billion KRW last year. The number of incidents also exceeded 9,000 annually from 2018 to 2020. Last year, the daily amount of voice phishing damage in Seoul alone reached 600 million KRW.

Despite efforts to arrest voice phishing criminals and prevent crimes, the amount of damage has increased and the number of incidents has not significantly decreased. In response, the Seoul Police Agency established an intensive response team in November last year to serve as a control tower and conduct strategic research and development. Subsequently, they thoroughly reviewed existing strategies and prepared a comprehensive plan that includes systematic and comprehensive investigations and external cooperation to supplement the limitations of crime prevention.

The comprehensive plan first includes a systematic and comprehensive crackdown plan through data analysis. It was confirmed that many voice phishing crimes, which seem unrelated by time, place, and method, actually have connections. Various crime data from individual cases are analyzed by a program and utilized in investigations.

It also includes intensive crackdowns on private relay devices used in voice phishing. Private relay devices refer to equipment that can disguise foreign internet phone numbers starting with 070 as domestic mobile phone numbers starting with 010 or regular phone numbers. Foreign organizations install private relay devices domestically to disguise internet phone numbers as domestic numbers to approach victims. Therefore, detecting and dismantling these devices can effectively block crimes.

From mid-February to recently, the police conducted intensive crackdowns and detected and dismantled 161 private relay devices at 52 locations nationwide. They also arrested 13 people related to the installation of relay devices, including A (26), who was detained on charges of violating the Telecommunications Business Act and fraud.

Voice phishing organizations install private relay devices under the pretext of side jobs or part-time work by requesting installation at residences or renting small rooms such as goshiwon or one-room apartments. Suspicious cases should be reported to the police. There is an increasing number of cases where individuals are investigated after installing devices at home for part-time jobs, so caution is advised.

In addition, the police plan to discover blocking measures at each stage of voice phishing through collaboration with related organizations such as telecommunications companies and banks, and promptly implement them through agreements (MOUs). Typically, the crime proceeds in four stages: ▲text message and social network service (SNS) approach ▲voice approach ▲malicious application (app) installation ▲delivery of the victim’s money. To reduce damage at each stage, the police are working with telecom companies to improve the suspension of phone numbers used in crimes and with IT companies to find and introduce measures to block malicious apps.

A police official said, "To respond to voice phishing, we intend to focus not only on arresting criminals but also on blocking crimes at each stage to prevent damage," and added, "We also ask the public to report any suspected installation of private relay devices to the police."

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