Passenger with Suspicious Bag... Taxi Driver's 'Ingenuity' Heading to Police Station

Former Voice Phishing Criminal Rides Along for Police Investigation
"Proud and Relieved to Help Catch the Collector This Time"

A taxi driver noticed that a passenger who got into his car carrying a suspicious bag was involved in a crime and immediately headed to the local police station, contributing to the arrest of a criminal involved in voice phishing, becoming a hot topic.

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Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

According to Yonhap News on the 11th, taxi driver Yang (66) received a call through a taxi-hailing application around 4:50 p.m. on the 6th, from Namwon, Jeonbuk to Daejeon.

The passenger who called the taxi, Mr. A (21), boarded carrying a bag. Yang asked, "Where in Daejeon are you going?" but he did not respond.

While Yang was asking, "What brings you all the way to Daejeon?" he saw the bag that Mr. A was carrying and recalled an incident two years ago when he almost got involved in a phone financial fraud (voice phishing) crime.

At that time, Yang had picked up a passenger heading from Namwon to Sunchang, who turned out to be a criminal involved in voice phishing, and Yang himself was questioned by the police as a witness.

Recalling that memory, Yang asked Mr. A, "Young man, you’re not going for something bad, right?" Mr. A was startled, opened the door, and tried to get out of the taxi, but Yang locked the door and immediately headed to the nearby police station.

At the police station, officers checked Mr. A’s bag and found 20 million won in cash inside. Investigation revealed that Mr. A was collecting cash under the instructions of a voice phishing organization and was in transit.

Yang said, "I had been carrying regret and guilt that if I had paid a little more attention before, I could have prevented voice phishing," adding, "This time, I feel proud and somewhat relieved that I was able to help catch the collector."

The police awarded Yang a commendation and a reward for his proactive response in preventing the crime, and they have booked passenger Mr. A on fraud charges while planning to expand the investigation targeting the voice phishing organization.

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