"Chuseok Gift Delivery Completed... Warning for Holiday Parcel and Financial Transaction Scam Texts"

Half of Last Year's Smishing Messages Sent During Holiday Period
Beware of Clicking URLs and Phone Numbers in Messages from Unknown Sources

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] The Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korea Communications Commission, the Financial Services Commission, the National Police Agency, the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), and the Financial Supervisory Service on the 31st urged users to be cautious of damages caused by the increase in smishing (SMS + phishing) impersonating courier delivery and financial support guidance, as well as messenger phishing disguised as holiday greetings from acquaintances ahead of the Chuseok holiday.

Smishing is a combination of SMS (Short Message Service) and phishing, a method in which text messages containing malicious app links are sent to mobile phones, inducing users to install malicious apps or make calls, thereby stealing financial and personal information.

Looking at the smishing trend over the past three years, the proportion occurring during holiday periods (January, February, September) accounts for 42.2% of the total cases. In particular, last year, it was analyzed that more than 50% of the total cases occurred during these periods.

Table=Ministry of Science and ICT

Most smishing cases are of the courier impersonation type (94.7%), exploiting the increase in gift deliveries during the holiday period, resulting in a surge in smishing impersonating courier services. Special caution is required this year as well.

Smishing impersonating public institutions (4.3%) has also occurred, disguised as public services closely related to citizens' lives, such as COVID-19 vaccination reservations, regular health checkup appointments, and traffic violation fine inquiries. Recently, a new type of smishing has appeared, inducing the installation of malicious apps to steal personal financial information through text messages impersonating government agencies for disaster relief fund applications, requiring caution.

Messenger phishing damages are also continuously increasing, where scammers claim to be family or acquaintances via messenger apps and request money, gift certificates, personal information, or financial transaction information under urgent situations (such as mobile phone malfunction, credit card theft/loss, accident settlement fees, proxy purchase of gift certificates). Especially, if a remote control app is installed and control is handed over, property damage may occur, so one should not comply with the other party’s demands before accurately verifying them through phone or video calls.

The government emphasized that to prevent such text message fraud damages, the following security rules must be followed.

First, do not click on unclear internet addresses (URLs) or phone numbers included in texts impersonating courier inquiries, holiday greetings, mobile gift certificates, transportation tickets, performance tickets, or acquaintances.

Second, strengthen smartphone security settings to prevent installing unknown apps recklessly, and install apps not through links in received messages but through authorized open markets.

Third, it is necessary to install antivirus programs and keep them updated and in real-time monitoring status.

Fourth, never enter or provide identification, personal information, or financial information when requested under the pretext of identity verification, disaster relief funds, or vaccine reservation inquiries.

Finally, if the conversation partner demands personal or financial information, money, or app installation, it is essential to verify the person accurately through phone or video calls.

Additionally, the government announced that it will establish a 24-hour safety response system in cooperation with related ministries to ensure a comfortable Chuseok holiday, focusing on monitoring text message fraud and cracking down on cybercrime.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and KISA will operate a continuous monitoring system during the Chuseok holiday period to respond promptly to the spread of text message fraud and analyze reported fraud information to quickly block malicious app distribution sites, minimizing public damage.

The Korea Communications Commission will cooperate with the three major mobile carriers and the Korea Association for ICT Promotion (KAIT) to sequentially send 'Smishing Text Warning' messages to subscribers under each carrier’s name starting September 1, and provide prevention information to prepaid phone subscribers via billing statements.

The Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service will intensively promote voice phishing prevention by guiding special caution regarding fraudulent texts impersonating Chuseok gift and courier delivery confirmations and holiday greetings from parents, children, and relatives during the holiday period through cooperation with the financial sector.

The National Police Agency will provide prevention rules and damage alerts through its website and the mobile app ‘CyberCop’ to prevent text message fraud damages, and plans to strengthen crackdowns on cyber malicious frauds infringing on ordinary citizens’ lives, such as text message fraud and direct transaction fraud occurring before and after the Chuseok holiday. They urged victims of cybercrime to report through the Cybercrime Reporting System (ECRM).

If you receive suspicious text messages or suspect malicious app infection during the holiday, you can report to the 118 Counseling Center without an area code and receive free 24-hour consultation.

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