Passenger Receiving a 'Suspicious Money Envelope'... Taxi Driver Catches Voice Phishing Criminal

At a Midway Stop, Receiving an Envelope of Money and Being Asked to Get Off in Front of an ATM Led to Instantly Sensing a Voice Phishing Scam

A taxi driver who realized that a passenger in the taxi was a voice phishing scammer prevented the voice phishing damage.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Gun-chan] The quick thinking of a taxi driver who realized that a passenger in his taxi during a long-distance trip was a voice phishing scammer prevented a voice phishing crime.

On March 15, taxi driver Mr. Lee (61) picked up a male passenger, Mr. A, in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, and began a long-distance trip to Yeoju. At a midway stop, Mr. A received an envelope of money from a man and then got back into the taxi. Later, when Mr. A requested to get off in front of an ATM, Mr. Lee immediately suspected that Mr. A was a voice phishing scammer.

Upon arriving at the ATM, Mr. A called 112 right after Mr. Lee got out. Police arrived within three minutes, arrested Mr. A who was waiting to transfer the voice phishing funds, and seized 16.9 million won in cash. The police recovered the remaining amount of the 17.9 million won in damages, excluding the 1 million won that had already been transferred.

Investigations revealed that the organization Mr. A belonged to had planned to deceive victims on the day of the incident by offering low-interest loans and then steal their cash under the pretext of repaying existing loans. Mr. A was identified as the cash collector for the voice phishing organization.

The Gwangju Police Station in Gyeonggi announced on the 9th that it had selected Mr. Lee as a "Phishing Guardian" and awarded him a certificate of commendation and a reward for reporting.

Mr. Lee said, "From the moment I saw the taxi passenger receive the envelope of money, I suspected it was voice phishing," and added, "I am glad to have protected the victim's valuable property."

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