Voice Phishing Spreads in Gwangju... Police Warn "Do Not Respond Under Any Circumstances"

Impersonating Prosecutors and Financial Supervisory Service to Steal Billions of Won
Always Suspect Calls Demanding Checks

As a series of voice phishing crimes have recently occurred in Gwangju, where criminals impersonate prosecutors, the Financial Supervisory Service, credit card companies, and others to steal large sums of cash or checks, the police have issued a special alert and urged citizens to be vigilant. The police emphasized that only immediate reporting to 112 and prompt blocking can prevent damage, as the same method of inducing the issuance of large checks by mentioning personal information leaks or alleged involvement in crimes over the phone is being repeatedly used.

According to Gwangju police on the 26th, voice phishing crimes have been occurring one after another, in which perpetrators impersonate "prosecutors," "the Financial Supervisory Service," "credit card companies," or "courier drivers" to demand large sums of cash or checks. The police stressed that these criminals approach victims in an organized manner by dividing roles, and warned that no requests should ever be complied with under any circumstances.

Gwangju Police Agency building.

In fact, in early February, one victim was deceived into handing over checks worth several hundred million won to an unknown man after being told that their personal information had been leaked and that their identity needed to be verified due to alleged involvement in a crime. At the end of the same month, another case occurred in which individuals impersonating prosecutors and Financial Supervisory Service employees induced a victim to transfer several hundred million won to an account, promising to return the money after the investigation was concluded. Both incidents were reported to the police on the 25th.

The Gwangju police have designated the Criminal Investigation Unit and the voice phishing task forces within local police stations (six teams, 35 members) as dedicated investigation teams and have launched an investigation. A police official stated, "Given the nature of these crimes, where recovery is difficult once damage occurs, prevention is most important," and urged anyone who receives a suspicious phone call to immediately report it to 112.

The police particularly noted the increasing number of cases involving checks. They have requested financial institutions issuing checks of 5 million won or more to report to 112, and plan to verify the circumstances of check issuance at two banks where such checks were actually issued. They also confirmed that in some cases, victims, despite police requests, followed the instructions of voice phishing organizations by temporarily deleting malicious apps, opening new mobile phone accounts, and reinstalling the apps, demonstrating how meticulously these crimes are orchestrated and highlighting the need for caution.

The police reiterated that if the "prosecutor" or "Financial Supervisory Service" demands money outside of a bank, if you are asked to install an app via a URL and then asked for cash or checks, or if you are induced to conduct financial transactions under the pretext of crime involvement or illegal fund investigation, it is 100% voice phishing. They repeatedly urged that if you receive such a call, hang up immediately and report it.

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