"Put Money in Subway Locker? It's a Voice Phishing Scam"

Seoul Metro Corporation Provides Guidance on Voice Phishing Cases Using Subway and Prevention Methods
Victims Intimidated and Money Exchanged via Locker Use... Over 10 Cases Occur Annually

On the 1st day of the first phase of gradual daily recovery, citizens are heading to work wearing masks at Sindorim Station in Guro-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul Metro Corporation is disclosing representative cases related to voice phishing incidents that occur more than 10 times annually using subway facilities and informing the public about ways to prevent them.

According to the Seoul Subway Police Unit, which investigates crimes within the subway, voice phishing cases using the subway have steadily occurred over the past three years, with 14 cases in 2019, 10 cases in 2020, and 12 cases in 2021.

In voice phishing cases involving the subway, monetary transactions using lockers are typical. Since lockers can be used unmanned and items can be retrieved immediately by knowing the password set during storage, scammers threaten or coax victims into placing money in the locker, which the fraudsters later retrieve.

There have been many cases where citizens or staff sensed an emergency when someone asked station employees about how to use lockers or showed signs of anxiety, took initiative to alert the situation, and called the police to prevent damage in advance. On July 8 last year, at around 10:30 a.m. at Bangbae Station on Line 2, a citizen witnessed an elderly woman trying to leave a bundle containing 10 million won in a locker inside the station and reported it to the station staff. The elderly woman repeatedly said to the staff, "If I don't put the money here, something terrible will happen." Sensing something suspicious, the staff pretended to explain how to use the locker to buy time and then reported it to the police. The police later revealed that it was a voice phishing method by a fraud group trying to extort redevelopment compensation money near Bangbae Station, and the elderly woman was able to keep her money safely.

There were various other incidents, such as when a passenger, devastated after receiving a call that a family member was kidnapped in the subway, asked for help and was calmly reassured by staff who then identified the scam, or cases where victims and scammers exchanged money through subway public restrooms. On January 19 at 6:10 p.m., a passenger using Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station on Line 5 heard during a phone call that their daughter had been kidnapped and collapsed in shock. The passenger informed a staff member working at the nearby information desk, who calmly reassured the passenger and called the daughter on their own phone to confirm she was safe. The passenger later rested at the Customer Safety Office and was safely escorted home by the police.

The corporation emphasized that no matter how chaotic the situation is, it is important to seek help from subway staff or the police. While anxious signs can sometimes be detected in advance and help offered proactively, understanding the situation is essential to determine how to assist.

To eradicate crimes within the subway, including voice phishing, the corporation is strengthening cooperation with the police by expanding security guard patrol hours, concentrating security guards in high-crime areas, and installing safety mirrors to prevent illegal filming. Jo Gyu-ju, Director of the Sales Planning Department at Seoul Metro Corporation, said, “The corporation will do its best together with the police to prevent crimes and ensure safety within the subway.”

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