'Bodycam Phishing' Damage Amount Increased 8 Times in 5 Years... Arrest Rate Remains at 20%

Lee Tan-hee, Democratic Party Lawmaker Data
2,583 Cases Occurred Last Year...Damage Amounting to 7.2 Billion KRW
"Efforts Needed to Establish Damage Prevention Measures"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] The so-called 'bodycam phishing' crime, where perpetrators induce sexual acts through video calls and then threaten the victims, is on the rise. The number of cases doubled over five years based on last year's data, and the amount of damages increased by 8.3 times.

According to data released on the 19th by Lee Tanhee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, the number of bodycam phishing cases last year was 2,583, a 2.1-fold increase compared to 1,193 cases in 2016. The scale of damages reached 7.268 billion KRW, increasing 8.3 times over five years. Meanwhile, the number of arrests last year was 519, resulting in an arrest rate of just over 20%.

Lee emphasized the urgent need to establish preventive measures. In 2014, a man in his 20s who was tormented by bodycam phishing threats took his own life, and recently, allegations of phishing victimization have been raised involving an Olympic national team athlete.

Lee said, "With the continuation of the non-face-to-face era due to COVID-19, the possibility of exposure to bodycam phishing has increased even more," adding, "Especially among adolescents, cases occur where they cannot even inform their parents due to shame and fear and even consider extreme measures, so efforts must be made to prepare effective prevention measures."

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