New Type of Voice Phishing Forging 'Mail Arrival Notices' Detected... Gyeongju Police Arrest One Person

Gyeongju Police Station (Chief Kim Si-dong) announced on the 1st that they arrested two suspects, A (43) and B (24), involved in a new type of voice phishing scheme who forged official documents, specifically the Korea Post’s ‘Mail Arrival Notice,’ and that suspect A has been detained.

According to the police, suspect A forged 1,538 mail arrival notices, which are normally issued when registered mail cannot be delivered due to the recipient’s absence, and then had part-time worker B distribute them into mailboxes installed in apartment entrances around Gyeongju city.

Notice of Arrival of Forged Mail. [Image Source=Gyeongju Police Station]

They are suspected of attempting to extort money by using a new voice phishing method, where victims who called the phone number listed on the notice were told things like “The mail is at the Prosecutor’s Office,” “I am a prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, and you are involved in a case requiring 5 million won for attorney fees,” and “Leave your ID card in the mailbox.”

Fortunately, residents quickly realized it was a voice phishing scam and reported it to the police, confirming that no financial damage occurred.

After receiving reports in late July that a large number of fake mail arrival notices were found in mailboxes at apartment entrances around Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, and that voice phishing was suspected, Gyeongju Police cooperated promptly with related organizations including Gyeongju City Hall, Gyeongju Post Office, and the Gyeongju branch of the Korea Housing Managers Association, and stated that no additional damage reports have been received to date.

Police investigations revealed that the discovered ‘Mail Arrival Notices’ were forged based on previously used forms. Some local post offices had been using handwritten format notices in the past, but following this incident, the Korea Post Headquarters changed the system to require all post offices nationwide to use electronic format mail arrival notices.

The police received reports from victims and quickly formed a dedicated intelligent crime investigation team, collected the forged mail arrival notices, and tracked the suspects through CCTV analysis, leading to the arrest of suspect A who forged the notices and suspect B who distributed them.

Thanks to active publicity by the police and related organizations, a resident who heard about the “voice phishing suspicion cases” spotted suspect B placing the mail arrival notices into mailboxes and reported it to the police.

The police confirmed through investigation that there are more accomplices and are expanding the investigation. In particular, they plan to track and arrest higher-ups overseas through cooperation with Interpol and issuing red notices.

A police official urged, “If you find a mail arrival notice in your mailbox, please verify the facts with the nearest post office. If you are told to ‘leave your ID card in the mailbox’ or that ‘the mail is being held at the prosecutor’s office,’ it is 100% a voice phishing crime, so please report it to 112 immediately.”

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