120 Billion Won Stolen in Wedding Invitation and Funeral Notice Smishing... Largest Domestic Organization Busted

Most Victims Are in Their 50s or Older

The largest smishing organization in the country, which sent text messages impersonating wedding invitations and funeral notices and stole approximately 12 billion won from around 1,000 victims, has been uncovered by the police.

On the 26th, the Cyber Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that they had arrested 13 people, including Mr A (in his 30s, Chinese nationality), the mastermind of a smishing organization, and sent them to prosecution on the 7th. The photo shows the police's seized items. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency

On November 26, the Cyber Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that they had arrested 13 people, including the smishing organization ringleader Mr A (in his 30s, Chinese nationality), on charges including violations of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection and the Act on Compensation for Loss from Telecommunications Fraud. The suspects were transferred on the 7th. Among them, four people including Mr A have been detained.

According to the police, from July 2023 to June this year, the suspects sent text messages impersonating wedding invitations, funeral notices, and traffic fine notifications, embedding links to malicious apps. After sending these messages, they illegally activated the victims’ phone USIMs and accessed mobile banking and virtual asset trading apps without authorization to steal funds. During this process, they are reported to have produced forged identification cards to bypass identity verification procedures.

There are around 1,000 victims, with total damages amounting to over 12 billion won. Between 80% and 90% of the victims were in their 50s or older, a demographic particularly vulnerable to digital security threats.

The police seized dozens of unused mobile phones, forged identification cards, and 45 million won in criminal proceeds. For two overseas ringleaders based in Shanghai, China, international cooperation is underway, including issuing Interpol red notices.

The police explained that this investigation revealed vulnerabilities in the identity verification system and led to system improvements at two telecommunications companies and two financial institutions.

A police official stated, "Smishing using small payment methods has evolved domestically into a method of directly infiltrating mobile banking apps to steal large sums. Even if you receive a wedding invitation or funeral notice from an acquaintance, you should never click on any URL links in the message and should always verify by phone first."

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