"Warning on Voice Phishing: 'OO Wedding Invitation·Undelivered Package' Bait Text Messages"

Increase in Voice Phishing Impersonating Prosecutors and Financial Supervisory Service Institutions

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Police have issued a warning as phone financial scams are occurring using bait messages such as overseas direct purchase payments, undelivered parcels, and wedding invitations.

On the 3rd, the National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters urged the public to be especially cautious by familiarizing themselves with the recent methods and characteristics of phone financial scams (voice phishing).

According to the National Police Agency, recently, voice phishing cases impersonating institutions such as prosecutors and the Financial Supervisory Service have increased. Out of a total of 1,751 cases, 1,108 were institution impersonation types, accounting for 63% of the total.

The institution impersonation type is divided into methods where the perpetrator knows the victim's personal information and approaches from the start, and methods where bait messages are sent to an unspecified number of people to lure them into a trap. The police emphasized that especially when scenarios diversify, unknown calls, texts, and social networking services (SNS) should be suspected without exception.

Some suspects have been confirmed to exploit victims' unfamiliarity with criminal procedures by sending prosecutor ID cards, official documents, and arrest warrants. They used very intimidating voices threatening arrest to weaken victims' judgment and block consultations with people around them.

Additionally, there were cases where perpetrators impersonated cooperative office staff to make victims deposit apartment option fees or shared charges into accounts provided by the perpetrators.

The National Police Agency posted a 'Voice Phishing Prevention Promotional Video' on its official YouTube channel. The video explains the approach stages, key functions of malicious apps such as forced actions, and more.

Meanwhile, the National Investigation Headquarters requested, "Please share this in personal and group chat rooms on SNS to reach as many people as possible."

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