"Hang Up on Suspicious Calls"... 252 Voice Phishing Cases in Incheon, Down 44% from Last Year

The number of voice phishing (telephone financial fraud) cases and the amount of damages reported in Incheon this year have decreased by about half compared to the previous year.

According to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency on May 20, the number of voice phishing crimes detected from January to April this year was 252 cases, a 43.9% decrease from 449 cases during the same period last year. The amount of damages also decreased by 45.8%, from 20.7 billion won last year to 11.2 billion won this year. The police analyzed that the decline in incidents is due to large-scale crackdowns on illegal activities related to voice phishing.

The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency is operating dedicated teams within the Metropolitan Investigation Unit and its police stations, assigning roles such as ringleader, manager, and collector to target the increasingly fragmented and networked voice phishing organizations. The agency is focusing its investigations on the upper echelons of these criminal groups in an effort to eradicate the crime.

Recently, the Incheon Yeonsu Police Station arrested 29 individuals, including a money launderer and the chief collector, who impersonated financial institutions and defrauded 16 victims of 350 million won. Six of those arrested have been taken into custody. Meanwhile, the Michuhol Police Station prevented damage by persuading a woman in her 60s who was about to transfer 140 million won to a voice phishing group.

Additionally, the Bupyeong Police Station recently referred a man in his 30s to the prosecution on charges of laundering approximately 747.6 billion won in virtual currency—suspected to be international criminal funds—by converting it into cash and transferring it to China over the past three years. During this process, 4.1 billion won in criminal proceeds were preserved for forfeiture prior to indictment.

Voice Phishing

However, the scale of voice phishing damages still amounts to 11 billion won, which remains high. In recent cases, criminals are increasingly using more sophisticated and cunning methods, such as "self-confinement," where victims are manipulated through gaslighting to impair their rational judgment.

There has also been a surge in new types of scams, including "no-show" scams, where fraudsters impersonate public offices or government agencies and request proxy purchases to swindle transaction payments; "investment reading room" scams, where they promise high returns or recommend investment items to steal funds; "team mission" scams, where victims are lured with promises of high-paying part-time jobs or side hustles and are induced to make payments under the pretense of team participation; and "romance scams," where perpetrators pretend to be potential romantic partners to gain trust and steal money.

To combat these crimes, the police, together with Incheon City and financial institutions, are continuously airing phishing crime prevention videos. They are also conducting the "Hang Up Now!" campaign, which is part of the National Investigation Headquarters' (Telecommunication Financial Fraud Integrated Response Unit) ongoing efforts to prevent phishing crimes. The campaign urges the public to immediately hang up on suspicious calls from those impersonating public agencies or financial institutions as a preventive strategy.

Han Changhoon, Commissioner of the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency, emphasized, "Prevention is the best defense against voice phishing. If you receive a suspicious call, end the conversation immediately and report it to the police at 112 if you suspect any damage."

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