[Opinion] How to Prevent Voice Phishing, Remember the 3GO Method

Oimgwan Boseong Police Chief

Oimgwan Boseong Police Chief

The Chuseok holiday, the great traditional festival of the nation, is approaching in the post-COVID-19 era. There is a saying, "I wish every day were like Chuseok, no more, no less." However, it is regrettable that this Chuseok holiday will also make it difficult for many families to meet all at once due to COVID-19 quarantine guidelines.

In these difficult times, people will still dream of a happy and abundant Chuseok by meeting their parents and siblings in their hometowns at heart. The police will do their best to protect the lives, bodies, and property of the people on the front lines even during the Chuseok holiday.

In particular, around this Chuseok holiday, special caution is needed as voice phishing crimes targeting COVID-19 support funds and burglaries of empty houses are expected to increase. Since not all crimes can be prevented by the police's efforts alone, we would like to introduce ways to prevent voice phishing crimes and burglaries of empty houses.

First, how can one avoid becoming a victim of voice phishing crimes?

In the past three years (2018?2020), the number of voice phishing cases and the amount of damage in Boseong-gun totaled 43 cases and 1 billion KRW. Since the application and payment of the COVID-19 national support fund began on the 6th, text phishing impersonating government support has been rampant, making this a peak season for voice phishing.

In the past, there were many institution-impersonation voice phishing cases pretending to be the Financial Supervisory Service, police, or prosecution. However, due to improvements such as a 30-minute withdrawal delay and account payment suspension as countermeasures by the financial sector, 'account transfer-type' voice phishing, which sends money to bank accounts, has significantly decreased. On the other hand, recently, there has been a sharp increase in 'face-to-face extortion-type' cases where the withdrawal agent meets the victim directly to receive money.

Before the holiday, special attention and caution are also required for phone financial fraud disguised as 'holiday greetings' or 'parcel delivery confirmation' calls from unknown numbers.

Do not click on unknown messages received via text or KakaoTalk, such as "Mom, it's me, my phone is broken..." because invisible hands may install hacking programs, and cash in your account could be withdrawn without your knowledge. Absolutely avoid accessing such links.

Crime prevention experts say that just a few precautions can prevent damage. A representative method is the '3GO' rule: 'Suspect, Hang up, Verify.' Do not press any buttons blindly; instead, confirm directly by phone.

Especially recently, 'face-to-face extortion-type' damage has surged. Most victims are people facing economic difficulties. Scammers exploit the desire for low interest rates by offering debt refinancing (switching to low-interest loans) and then say, "We will send an employee, so please hand over the cash."

Face-to-face extortion voice phishing scammers deceive victims by presenting forged business cards to gain trust, inducing victims to withdraw cash and hand it directly to the scammer.

Since financial companies never request cash withdrawals under the pretext of credit rating upgrades or low-interest refinancing, firmly refuse and hang up if you receive such calls.

Most victims of voice phishing are people with low credit ratings or urgent financial needs who are likely to make poor rational decisions due to these baiting remarks. Therefore, if you receive such a call, consult people around you and take time to reconsider.

Next, here are ways to prevent burglaries of empty houses.

If you leave your home to visit your hometown during the Chuseok holiday, poorly secured doors will become targets for burglars. The police operate a 'vacant house pre-report system.' If you report to the nearby police box, active patrols during the holiday period will help prevent theft.

Visiting the nearby police box to make a patrol reservation in advance is also a good method. Additionally, if you will be away during the Chuseok holiday, installing CCTV or security bars before the holiday as visible deterrents will help prevent becoming a target of criminals.

Recently, Boseong Police have been making multifaceted efforts to prevent voice phishing and theft crimes. They are conducting 'Chuseok Special Security Activities' to ensure a comfortable and safe Chuseok holiday. Although it may be difficult for everyone to visit their hometowns due to COVID-19 quarantine guidelines, we hope that everyone can spend a Chuseok holiday as peaceful as the saying, "no more, no less than Chuseok."

Oh Im-gwan, Chief of Boseong Police Station

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