"Handed Over 25 Million Won, Suspected Phishing and Reported"... 20s Cash Collector Caught on Site

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Seoyul] A phishing scam collector who attempted to steal 25 million won was caught by the police thanks to the victim's quick response.

On the 19th, the Dongjak Police Station in Seoul announced that on the 12th at around 2 p.m., they arrested a man in his 20s, Mr. A, who tried to steal 25 million won in cash through a voice phishing scam (telecommunication financial fraud) in the Sangdo-dong area of Dongjak-gu.

Mr. A called victims, claiming he would provide refinancing loans at low interest rates. Refinancing loans refer to taking out a new loan to pay off an existing loan. He then impersonated an employee of the bank where the victims had their original loans, saying, "If you take out another loan while you already have one, it violates the contract and may lower your credit rating, so if you temporarily repay it in cash, you won't suffer any disadvantages," thereby deceiving the victims.

Victim Mr. B, who was fooled by this, met Mr. A in person and handed over 25 million won in cash. However, sensing something was wrong, Mr. B followed Mr. A and asked if this was a phishing scam. Flustered, Mr. A returned the cash to Mr. B and fled. Fortunately, Mr. B immediately reported to the nearby police, enabling the arrest of Mr. A.

Police investigations revealed that this was not Mr. A's first offense. He is also suspected of having stolen a total of 28 million won in two separate incidents in Seoul and other provinces using the same method. The police stated, "We are conducting a detention investigation to determine if Mr. A has committed additional crimes."

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