AhnLab: "Over Half of Phishing Texts in Q1 Impersonated Financial Institutions"

In the first quarter of this year, half of all phishing text messages were found to impersonate financial institutions, instilling anxiety with notifications such as withdrawal alerts and stealing financial account information.

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According to the "Phishing Text Message Trend Report for the First Quarter of 2026" released by AhnLab on April 16, impersonation of financial institutions accounted for 53.62% of phishing text message attacks in the first quarter of this year (January to March), making up more than half of all cases. Loan scams followed at 18.72%, impersonation of government and public institutions at 8.49%, Telegram impersonation at 7.95%, job offer scams at 5.69%, and impersonation of courier companies at 2.74%.

Notably, the types involving impersonation of financial institutions and loan scams increased by 9.38% and 205.15%, respectively, compared to the previous quarter. This contrasts with the 51.99% decrease in impersonation of government and public institutions and the 22.55% decrease in Telegram impersonation. AhnLab analyzed that attackers are primarily targeting the financial and loan sectors, where there is the potential for high returns.

Most phishing attempts used "URL insertion" (81.36%), but unlike the previous quarter, the methods diversified to include luring through mobile messengers, inducing phone calls, and prompting responses via text messages. Attackers are employing multiple channels simultaneously to evade detection and increase the success rate of their attacks.

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To prevent damages caused by phishing text messages, it is essential to follow basic security guidelines such as: not clicking on URLs sent by unclear senders; checking the reputation of suspicious phone numbers; blocking international text messages if they are unnecessary for work or daily life; and installing smartphone security products (such as V3 Mobile Security).

AhnLab stated, "The phishing text message trends in the first quarter are similar to those of the previous quarter, confirming that attackers are focusing on refining methods with proven success rates rather than developing new techniques. As May approaches-with its major holidays and extended breaks-various phishing attempts exploiting seasonal characteristics are expected to increase. Therefore, even with familiar phishing types, such as invitations disguised as wedding cards or impersonation of family members, it is important not to let your guard down and to double-check before responding."

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