Do Not Open the "Sugeupjageok Injeong Tongsiseo" Notice... National Pension Impersonation Texts on the Rise

"Suspicious Messages Should Be Verified with Customer Service"

Recently, cases of smishing text messages impersonating the National Pension Service have been discovered, requiring caution.

On the 10th, the National Pension Service reported that there have been cases of receiving text messages containing suspicious smishing links with content such as 'National Pension Welfare Allowance Payment Notice' and 'National Pension Eligibility Recognition Notice,' urging recipients to be cautious.

Smishing is a combination of SMS (Short Message Service) and phishing. When a link in a text message is clicked, malware is installed on the smartphone, causing small payment damages without the victim's knowledge or theft of personal and financial information.

Suspicious Smishing Message Impersonating National Pension Service
[Image Source=Yonhap News]

In response, the Service stated, "If you receive a suspicious message containing a link impersonating the National Pension Service, do not open or access it. Please verify with the National Pension Customer Center (dial 1355 without area code) or the nearest branch." The Service plans to request a police investigation regarding the smishing messages.

Meanwhile, smishing tactics are rapidly evolving, with recent cases even impersonating condolence messages, requiring special caution.

Recently, a text message stating, "We regret to inform you that your father passed away this morning," was randomly sent to about 200 acquaintances, including colleagues, from the mobile phone number of a public official, Mr. A, at a district office in Ulsan. The message also included a URL that appeared to contain the address of a funeral hall. However, this message was not an actual condolence message, and the attached link was a fake link created to infect the phone with malware. Prior to this, Mr. A had received a condolence message from an acquaintance and clicked the link, which caused the same message to be resent to contacts stored on Mr. A’s phone.

The police advised that to prevent smishing damage impersonating acquaintances through condolence messages or wedding invitations, it is best not to click on URLs from the start. This is because infecting one phone turns it into a so-called 'zombie phone,' which then sends mass messages to contacts, spreading the damage by prompting them to click the link.

If you have already clicked on a suspicious link, you should quickly inform your acquaintances of the situation. Also, for messages such as wedding invitations or condolence messages sent in the name of acquaintances, it is safer to confirm by phone before clicking. People who do not usually use small payments can prevent smishing payments by pre-blocking small payments through their carrier’s customer center or website. Installing antivirus programs on your phone and regularly updating them is also important. Additionally, installing the 'Citizen Conan' app developed by the National Police Agency can help prevent smishing damage.

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