LG Uplus Launches Emergency Response System Against Voice Phishing and Smishing Ahead of Lunar New Year

LG Uplus said on the 12th that it has prepared "Special Customer Protection Measures" and launched an emergency response system to prevent customer harm from voice phishing and smishing attempts ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.

LG Uplus announced on the 12th that it has prepared "Special Customer Protection Measures" and activated an emergency response system to protect customers from voice phishing and smishing attempts ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. Provided by LG Uplus.

According to the National Police Agency, the total number of voice phishing crimes last year increased by 12.1% compared to the previous year, and the number of crimes in months that included a holiday rose by 32.5% over the same period. Recently, there has been a growing number of cases in which phone calls or text messages impersonating "Lunar New Year gift delivery address confirmation" or "payment history confirmation" are used to induce the installation of malicious applications (apps). If a malicious app is installed, incoming calls to a smartphone may be blocked, or calls from criminal organizations may appear as police or prosecution office numbers, which can lead to voice phishing damage.

During the Lunar New Year holiday, LG Uplus will conduct intensive monitoring at its Magok office building in Seoul to track and block command-and-control servers for malicious apps. Through its AI-based data analysis system, the "Customer Damage Prevention Analysis System," the company plans to track malicious app command-and-control servers and, via a hotline with the police, promptly share information and take blocking measures when infection cases occur.

For customers confirmed to have installed malicious apps, the company will notify them of the risk situation via KakaoTalk notification messages and support them so that they can receive assistance at nearby police stations or LG Uplus stores. The company also plans to strengthen its blocking functions by training AI on the types of spam text messages that frequently occur during holiday periods.

LG Uplus urged customers to refrain from clicking on internet links in messages of unclear origin and to reject phone calls impersonating customer centers or similar entities that request app installation. It also recommended regular checkups using smartphone antivirus apps and reporting to the National Police Agency's Integrated Response Center for Electronic Financial Fraud in the event of malicious app infection.

Hong Kwanhee, head of the Information Security Center at LG Uplus, said, "As voice phishing techniques become more sophisticated, there are more and more cases that are difficult even for experts to distinguish," adding, "Caution is required when dealing with suspicious calls or text messages."

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