Jeju Police Agency Urges Special Caution Against Messenger Phishing Impersonating Children

Published 14 Jul.2022 10:39(KST)

[Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Jeongpil] Recently, there has been an increase in messenger phishing scams impersonating children, highlighting the need for special caution.

According to the Jeju Police Agency on the 14th, messenger phishing mainly involves criminals impersonating family members to approach victims via text messages or smartphone messengers, then demanding money or obtaining payment information such as ID cards, credit cards, and passwords through messages to steal funds.

A total of 152 cases occurred in the province during the first half of the year, accounting for 73% of last year's total cases within just six months, indicating a rising trend in damages.

The characteristics of the crime methods are as follows: First, the perpetrator impersonates the victim’s child and approaches under the pretext of a phone malfunction. They send messages from unregistered numbers saying, “Mom (Dad), my phone is broken, so I’m sending messages from a temporary number.”

Second, they request transmission of payment information such as ID cards, credit cards, and passwords, citing various reasons like mobile phone malfunction insurance claims or mobile gift certificate refunds.

Third, they send a link to a smartphone remote control program and, once accepted, remotely operate mobile banking apps to transfer money from the victim’s account.

At the end of last month, two foreigners were arrested (detained) while driving around the province with multiple phones registered under other people’s names used as relay devices for messenger phishing crimes.

To avoid suspicion from victims, they linked overseas computers with domestic phones to relay phishing text messages from 010 numbers. In fact, 15 phones seized at the scene showed records of tens of thousands of child-impersonation messenger phishing attempts.

The Jeju Police applied charges including violations of the Telecommunications Business Act and attempted fraud against the suspects, sent them to the prosecution earlier this month, and are continuing investigations into additional crimes and accomplices (co-conspirators).

A Jeju Police official said, “If you receive a text message (KakaoTalk) from an unregistered number saying ‘Mom (Dad), my phone is broken,’ and the other party requests payment information such as ID cards, credit cards, or passwords, it is important to verify the person by phone call.” He added, “If they avoid phone calls citing phone malfunctions, there is a high possibility of fraud.”

He continued, “Most phishing crimes start with personal information leakage, so be careful not to click on URLs included in text messages,” and emphasized, “It is necessary to develop the habit of using official application markets.”